


Healing Half a Heart

by RyanTyler2294



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Shiro (Voltron), Causal Hook Up, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Nipple Play, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Public Sex, Then they catch feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 05:41:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15767757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: Sendak and Shiro hook up, and all their friends find out about it. Not only do they have to deal with the judgment of the people around them, but now they might be falling for each other. Things only complicate further when Shiro learns the truth about who Sendak really is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, I wrote this cause I wanted a fic where Shiro gets dicked down in public. Didn't turn out how I thought it would. Now it's about five or six chapters long with a plot. I hope you guys like it!

When the aliens landed the world had gone into an uproar. Shiro, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to be front and center in the negotiations that were taking place. He always knew that they weren’t alone in the universe. He had been at the forefront of the research for extraterrestrials. It allowed him to be there when peace talks took place. He was a little more open-minded to the situation. It made it easier for him to explain the compromises that were needed.

It had been a year since then and most of the major issues had been settled. Shiro was still very interested in the culture of these different people. He was working on talking with everyone he could and learn about them. It was all he’d ever wanted out of life, well that and to actually see their planets.

He’d become most assimilated with the Galra. Much like immigrants coming to America, the species settled in the way other cultures had. Families settled into one area in town and other members of their people joined them. That being said, the Galran community had moved into his neighborhood. He’d made friends with a few of them and he even managed to pick up on a bit of their language.

He even found that a few of them were now working at the Galaxy Garrison. Sendak was one of the ones in his department. He and Haxus were Engineers. They were put onto Shiro’s project. The aliens all brought their own form of space travel. Shiro however, was determined to get his own ship design up and going. But Shiro had been in an accident back during his Kerberos mission. He’d lost his arm and took a bad blow to his head.

He doesn’t remember much of it. Matt assured him that it was for the best.

The point was, that he wasn’t able to be as hands-on with his projects as he would like. He had to delegate a lot of his responsibilities. It’s why he needed to bring new people onto the project to pick up the slack. He was starting to get used to it, but it was still hard for him to adjust.

But things were starting to come along nicely. They were ahead of schedule. They should be able to do a remote test flight soon.

“Good work today guys,” Shiro said as he started to lock down the lab for the night. “Have a good night.”

“You’re turning in already?” Sendak asked.

“I’m gonna head home.” Shiro shrugged.

“Are you sure? We’re heading to Throk’s place. He has a little tavern we all meet up at. You’re welcome to come along if you want.”

“Sure,” Shiro decided. “I can hang out for a while.”

Sendak and Shiro had become fast friends. They both shared a love of technology and learning about new species. They often compared notes about biology and culture. Sendak had helped to double check Shiro’s initial blueprints. He gave suggestions on how to make it more efficient.

They started hanging out outside of work, usually just the two of them. Shiro’s human friends didn’t like being around a seven-foot galra. And Sendak’s friends weren’t too keen to outsiders joining their ranks.

But, Sendak’s friends were realizing that Shiro meant them no harm and was more accepting of his presence. He’d gone to a few other small gatherings before.

Throk’s Tavern was one of those hangout spots that the working class Galra. At the end of a work day they all gathered for a drink and a chance to catch up. He’d never been inside. It was rumored that humans weren’t welcomed after a group had come through and trashed the place.

Shiro, however, was greeted cheerfully. Most here knew him or knew of him. A few of their friends were already there. Sendak sat with them on the couches so that Shiro didn’t have to struggle to get up on the high bar stools. The place was like a futuristic cabin, warm and cozy, but still high tech. Music was playing, not too loudly, but loud enough it could be heard if you wanted to dance.

“So, you have to tell me,” Sendak took a sip of his drink. “Why is this spacecraft so important? Your planet is already using technology from everyone else.”

“It just is. Yeah, we’re using other tech but this will be the first man-made ship to leave our solar system. It’s still an miestone and something I’ve been working on for years. I know few others think of it that way, but people from other planet points out that we aren’t using our own creation.”

“It’s a shame you won’t get to pilot it,” Sendak lamented.

Shiro only shrugged.

“You could get a prosthetic,” Haxus chimed in.

“That’s true,” Sendak agreed. “You can get one like mine.” He held up his robotic hand.

“I’m fine,” Shiro waved it off.

“It could enhance your way of living,” Thace agreed. “Especially the newer models. They’re not clunky like Sendak’s.”

“Hey,” Sendak protest.

“It’s better than what it used to be.” Haxus went on. “It used to be about twice the size of him. At least this one is proportionate.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Sendak said.

“Are we talking about the same thing?”

Thace talked over them, “It would move like a natural limb.”

“I’ll consider it,” Shiro said.

“Or you could fit your ship to you,” Haxus suggested. “That way only you can fly it.”

“I’m not going back into space anytime soon,” Shiro admitted. “I’m actually not even going to be on the crew for this flight. I’m going to be on the ground.”

“What’s the point of that?” Haxus snorted.

“I didn’t make the call,” Shiro said. “Sometimes I get taken off the roster to allow other people to…”

“But it’s your ship,” Thace pointed out. “If anyone should be at the helm during its maiden voyage it should be you.”

Shiro wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to explain that the last flight had messed with his nerves. He couldn’t tell them about how his hand shook when he was in the simulator a few weeks ago. He was supposed to be a legendary pilot. Now he was some wuss who thought back to his crash and became paralyzed with fear.

Sendak sensed what was going on and changed the subject. They were soon all talking about sports. He didn’t recognize the terms they were throwing around but he could understand most of it.

“You should watch one of the games with us sometime,” Sendak suggested. “We come here to watch it on Saturdays.”

“Sure, let me know what time to show up.”

The song changed and Sendak’s ears perked up.

“You know this one?” Shiro inquired.

“Yes, it’s one of my favorites,” Sendak said. “Do you want me to teach you the steps?”

“Yes,” Shiro put his drink down. He was always looking for some new moves to add to his playbook.

He wasn’t sure how long he was on the dance floor, but he was having fun. Sendak had shown Shiro a few dances and Shiro did the same for Sendak. It was a nice change a pace to the way he tended to end the night since the crash. He’d fallen into a pattern of going to work and then going straight home. Anything too far out of the way felt like a hassle and drained him of his energy.

But here, surrounded by friends he felt he was able to let loose and have fun. He dances with Thace and Haxus trying to show off what he had learned. He could see them try not to laugh at his lack of coordination.

“I’ll get it eventually,” He promised them.

“You’re close, but you look like you’re about to lose your balance,” Thace chuckled.

“I can’t help it. The way I have to cross my feet makes me trip.”

“Widen your stance a little you almost got it,” Thace instructed.

Shiro did, and almost fell anyway. Sendak caught him and gave him a twirl before pulling him to his chest.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Sendak warned.

“I don’t think you noticed, but I’m made of some pretty sturdy stuff,” Shiro winked.

“I can tell,” Sendak didn’t seem to want to let him go, and Shiro was fine with that. They glided across the floor as they danced. Sendak’s metal hand was a comforting presence on his hip. It kept him steady. Shiro let himself lean into Sendak. A purr rumbled in the Galra’s chest, and through Shiro. It was…

Sendak rolled his hips against Shiro in a slow grind. The bulge that rubbed against him took him by surprise, but he wasn’t repulsed by it. He looked up at Sendak who was looking down at him awaiting a response. Shiro met his movements with one of his own. He wasn’t sure what was coming over him, but he wasn’t frightened or intimidated by Sendak trying to put the moves on him.

If anything it was arousing. He was more turned on than he’d been in a while. He hadn’t been intimate with anyone since the crash. No one had shown interest since he lost his arm. But now Sendak was purring and salaciously grinding against him to the beat of the music.

Sendak’s right hand was giving Shiro’s ass a squeeze. Shiro let out a soft gasp. His hips pivoted to meet Sendak’s. He could only hope that his hard-on wasn’t so noticeable that when they separated everyone would see it.

The song changed to something more upbeat.

“Sendak,” Shiro moaned softly. Sendak nuzzled his forehead. Shiro tipped his head up. Their noses brushed as they brought their mouths together in a kiss. It wasn’t long until Sendak was devouring his mouth. His tongue going deep in Shiro, tasting every part of him. Shiro moaned. He wrapped his arm around Sendak’s neck and pressed their groins more firmly together.

Sendak’s was playing with the hem of Shiro’s pants before he slipped his hand in. Shiro gasped when a furred hand grabbed his ass. He felt the claws retract as Sendak started to grope and squeeze. A finger found his entrance and started to play with it.

The moan Shiro let out was muffled in Sendak’s chest. He wasn’t sure why he was letting Sendak do this here. But no one seemed to be paying them any mind. They didn’t care that Sendak was very obviously fingering Shiro while he let him grind on his leg. And Shiro didn’t care that Sendak had taken him back to the couch.

Shiro kisses Sendak, opened his mouth and made out with him until he had to break for air. He was shaking, he wanted to keep going, but maybe they should head home first? Do this properly, in a bed.

Sendak wasn’t on the same page. He pulled his own cock from his pants and stroked it a few times until his hand was covered in his own slick. He brushed his nose to Shiro as he pulled the back of the humans pants down. Shiro was going to protest but then there was a slick finger sliding inside of him. A long finger was stroking his prostate, and he lost his words in a moan.

Shiro melted into Sendak’s hold. Two fingers were in him scissoring and spreading him open. He laid there moaning softly and rocking into Sendak’s hand. The third finger was a bit of a stretch, especially since Sendak’s fingers were so thick. All together it was like he was already being spread open by a cock. He could only imagine how big Sendak must be.

“You’re so soft,” Sendak hummed. Lust heavy in his voice. He was taking his time to get Shiro ready. He took care to brush against Shiro’s prostate. It wasn’t enough to sate him but it kept him wanting more. Sendak was able to move in and out with ease once Shiro stopped tensing. Shiro was squirming trying to get his cock to rub against Sendak’s. But Sendak held him in place.

“Can I go inside you?” Sendak licked the side of Shiro’s face. His tongue was damp and a little rough against Shiro’s skin. It made his toes curl and his back arched as answered, “Yes,” with a groan of desire.

Sendak removed his fingers and turned Shiro around so they were back to chest. It pulled Shiro out of the fantasy. They were in a bar full of Galra who weren’t paying them any attention. There was one guy who looked their way. He only gave them a passing glance before he turned back to the conversation he was having with his friend. But that was it.

Sendak’s arm hooked under Shiro’s knees, lifting him effortlessly. The slick tip of Sendak’s cock rubbed against Shiro’s waiting entrance. He shouldn’t be this turned on by the situation but he had to bite his lip so he wouldn’t make any noise.

But when the tip pressed in he groaned. It wasn’t nearly as wide as he thought it would be. But the more he took the bigger it felt. Past the corona of the head the cock swelled and widened as it curved.

Shiro opened his mouth in a silent moan as he was stretched further than he’d ever been. The slick Sendak produced helped him along but it still felt impossible. And was it wrong that it was so good? Sendak kept pushing in slowly. It felt like it would go on forever. He wouldn’t mind that, forever being split opened and filled.

“Ah,” he let out a whimpered breath. Sendak kissed his neck mumbling words of comfort. He seemed to be as taken by the experienced. Shiro swears he heard Sendak’s voice quiver when he accidentally tensed.

They both groaned when Sendak was completely inside. Shiro was clenching and squirming. Sendak let him. The Galra was also in a daze from how tight and soft Shiro was. They fit together perfectly. Shiro’s tight ass hugged every part of him in a slick, hot, grip.

Sendak didn’t ask if Shiro was ready, he could feel when he needed more. Shiro let out a surprised bleat when Sendak started to pull out. His thighs trembled as an elongated sigh of pleasure passed his lips when Sendak pressed back in.

They started out slow as Shiro got used to the girth. Again, Sendak knew when he needed more and pick up the pace. He went from sensationally rolling his hips, to quick thrusts that left Shiro gasping for air.

Every thrust left Shiro arching and wanting. His hand clutched the fur of Sendak’s neck as he tossed his head back in a cry of pleasure. Sendak’s cock rubbed against every secret part of Shiro, places he didn’t even know he wanted to be touched. Sendak was bucking his hips faster, making Shiro bounce on his cock. Sendak had to hold Shiro around his middle to keep him steady.

“Ngh ahh,” Shiro keened when he felt the cool metal hand on his heated skin through his shirt. One of the fingers were over his beaded nipple. It made him shiver. He was losing himself to pleasure. Sendak’s cock was never not touching his prostate. He was rooted in his body, pleasure melting his spine and leaving him putty. He’d lost control of himself, he was crying and moaning, wanting more. His legs kicked out so he could spread them wider but found they were trapped by his pants.

His cock rubbed against the fabric of his boxers as it drooled pre-cum. He was so hard, but he wasn’t focused on cumming. He wanted to stay in this floaty state he was suspended in. He felt good and hot, and full.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t been laid in a while that he was so sensitive. Maybe it was why he couldn’t stop begging, couldn’t stop calling Sendak’s name.

Sendak was getting close. Shiro could tell from his broken pants. Sendak sounded just as wrecked as him. His thrusts were becoming erratic and the base of his cock was starting to swell. It was an odd sensation that Shiro had never felt before. It was making it harder for Sendak to push back in. He had to up the intensity and pound into Shiro until his eyes were rolling in the back of his head.

He was going to cum. He was going to cum untouched.

“I’m close too,” Sendak huffed.

So Shiro had said that out loud? It didn’t matter, his body was climbing higher and higher with pleasure. He was stuck right on the cusp where every thrust felt like it could send him over the edge, but it wasn’t enough. Then Sendak shoved his knot into Shiro’s puffy, wet hole one last time and tied them together.

Sendak came first. The knot swelled one last time before Shiro was flooded with cum. Steam after stream of it burst forth. It was hot and sticky, and being filled with it until he thought he would burst was what pushed Shiro over the edge. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he came. Liquid pleasure consumed him from his curling toes to his arched spine, up to lolled back head. All he could do was gasp and groan as he came in his pants.

He came down from his high slowly. He was still blissfully full. But now he was more aware of Sendak’s heavy breathing. His stomach was bloated with Sendak’s cum and his ass was still taut around his cock. He was sticky with sweat and in need of a shower.

And once again he was in a daze that they had done this in the tavern and no one cared. He had sex with Sendak on a couch in front of all these people and hadn’t once thought about stopping.

Sendak was licking at Shiro’s neck as he savored the afterglow. Shiro was still a little foggy in the brain and decided to sit back and enjoy this

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd, end chapter 1!  
> If you're interested I have drawings of Throk's Tavern on my art blog [Here](https://ryan-draws-fanart.tumblr.com/post/176482450952/purplerubyred-ryan-masamune-of-oshu-throks)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro gets shocking news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have said this before, but I post updates on Wednesdays. So, here is another chapter!

Everyone in the garrison had been whispering about something, but no one wanted to tell him what it was about. Shiro didn’t pay it any mind. He got his morning coffee and went down to his lab.  
  
He had work to do. Putting in the navigation system of the ship was always tricky, and he wanted to make sure his team was doing it correctly, and ran diagnostic testing the right way. It was the kind of thing that needed to be triple checked, but no one like even having to do it the first time.

By the time lunch rolled around they were ready to start the first phase of testing. Everyone cleared out for lunch, but Shiro, who watched the monitors to make sure nothing went wrong. Sendak offered to stay behind for a bit so Shiro could grab something to eat.

The cafeteria wasn’t as noisy as it usually was by the time Shiro got there. Again, there was a hushed whisper and no one wanted to clue him in. He figured he would overhear what was going on eventually, so he piled up his plate and left for his lab.

It was Keith who caught up to him in the hallway to tell him what was up. He called, “Shiro, Shiro wait,” with a frantic edge to his voice.

“What’s wrong?” Shiro asked.

“Everyone knows,” Keith said like it was supposed to mean something.

“Everyone knows what?”

“About you and…ya know,” Keith looked him straight in the eye expecting him to figure it out.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Shiro admitted.

“You and Sendak,” Keith dropped his voice to a whisper.

“What?” Shiro blanched.

“You and Sendak. Someone hacked the garrison website and posted a video of the two of you...you know.” Keith had trouble saying it, not because Keith was bashful, but Shiro had been a mentor to him for many years. It’s hard to see your role model in a compromising position.

“W-what? How? When?” Shiro stammered, his face turned cherry red.

“You were in public,” Keith said. He looked like he was going to say more but stopped when Shiro steadied him with a glare. “The head of the garrison took the page down while they try to figure out who the hacker is. They think it was a Galran attack.”

“Galra?”

“Yeah. Everyone thinks it weird that you got caught…like that. I haven’t been listening in much on the conversations so my information isn’t that accurate.” Keith admitted. “But they think you were set up.”

Shiro’s knuckles had turned white from gripping his tray so hard. No. There was no way someone from his lab set him up. He and Sendak were friends. They even managed to come in and work with each other today without making it weird. And he couldn’t see anyone else having it out for him. Sure, he and Haxus bumped head sometimes, but only on scientific matters. There was no reason for anyone to go out of their way to humiliate him.

“Thank’s for letting me know.” Shiro took off down the hallway. He had to talk to Sendak about this, and ask him if he already knew.

Sendak was the only one still in the lab watching the screens for the diagnostics. He managed to find one of the lawn chairs that Shiro keeps in his lab. He must have gone through one of the storage closets and found Shiro’s miscellaneous junk. Sendak stretched out so he could lounge.

“Did you know?” Shiro got straight to the point.

“Know what?” Sendak lazily turned to face him.

“The tavern,” Shiro couldn’t hide his discontent. “Someone filmed us and posted it online.”

“Is that not common for your people?” Sendak looked a little confused.

“Wait, did you…”

“No, but I’ve seen many websites with that sort of content.”

“They post those videos on their own. I didn’t want to be filmed, much less have it posted online for everyone to see.”

Sendak gave him an odd look. His eyes narrowed and his ears flattened to the side of his head.

“Do you know who might have been the one to film it or post it,” Shiro asked.

“I doubt it was any of my friends if that’s what you mean.” There was a growl to Sendak’s voice.

“That’s not what…” Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay let’s backtrack. I’m not accusing you of anything. I just want to know if you can think of anyone who might have done something like that.”

“Are you ashamed of it?” Sendak asked.

“Kind of,” Shiro confessed. “It’s not something that I would want everyone to see.”

Sendak’s frown deepened.

“You have to understand that,” Shiro's voice was just above a plead.

“Just say what you mean Shirogane,” Sendak snarled. “If you don’t want people to know you’re friends with a Galra…”

“Woah, Woah,” Shiro cut him off. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“It’s what it sounds like.”

“One more time, let’s back up. What did I say to fuck it up?”

“You don’t seem pleased that everyone has proof we were together last night, much less that you were at a Galra hangout spot.”

“That’s not it,” Shiro sighed pulling up a chair next to Sendak. “Human just…a sexual act in public is considered taboo and sometimes illegal actually. And we don’t do it in front of other people, normally. It’s supposed to be something just between two people.”

“By “it” you mean intercourse?”

“Yes,” Shiro sighed. “It’s a closed bedroom kind of thing.”

“So when we did that you were going against your own species moral code.” Sendak gave him a sly grin.

“Kind of.”

“So why did you let me do it?” Sendak asked. “If it made you uncomfortable I would have stopped.”

“It didn’t make me uncomfortable. It’s not the norm for me, that’s for sure, but no one really seemed to care. Does that happen on the regular there?”

“Yes and no. Galra aren’t nearly as prudish when it comes to bonding. As long as the cubs aren’t around and it’s not disruptive, it’s not uncommon to see friends being intimate or couples tied together.”

“I don’t even know where to start with that,” Shiro sat back.

“Take your time,” Sendak purred. He was always amused when Shiro reacted to the differences of their species. For the most part, Shiro was always level headed and curious about their lack of commonality, but there were always a few facts that were so different he couldn’t process that it was considered normal.

“Okay, so you call it bonding instead of sex, and friends do it casually?”

“Sex is a very intimate act and allowing someone that close to you is just the start of bonding. Hormones are released that help to bond one person to the other. It enhances the emotional attachment you share with the other person. Friends bond with each other less often than mated pairs.”

“So what we did last night was?” Shiro blanched.

“Something between friends,” Sendak clarified. At first, he looked amused, then it dawned on him. “Did you think…”

“No! No. I thought it was just a hookup. Causal sex is a thing. I just wasn’t sure if…”

“If I was going to mate with you I would have marked your neck.”

“Mark my neck?” Shiro’s hand automatically went to where Sendak had been licking him last night.

“I would have bitten you, leaving a mark there.”

“Well, that’s where my jugular is so…” Shiro started to joke but Sendak steadies him with his gaze.

“Did you want me to?”

“No, I was just trying to lighten the mood a little,” Shiro slumped then sighed. “But I’m still going to have to deal with the fallout. Everyone in the garrison knows I’m not sure how many saw.”

“They’ll think less of you?”

“I have a high rank here and a reputation. I’m not supposed to be caught taking part in… “deviant behavior.”

“Is it going to affect your status here?”

“Maybe. They’ll probably be some sort of meeting, some sort of punishment.”

“Punishment for what you did in your private life? That hardly seems fair.”

“They might not. We’ll just have to wait and see what…”

The doors to the lab opened and Iverson stepped through. Shiro could tell he was about to be reprimanded but Iverson looked apprehensive when he saw it was just Shiro and Sendak in the room sitting so close to each other.

“Commander Shirogane,” Iverson cleared his throat. “We have to talk.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

“Okay,” Shiro got up. “After the diagnostics are done you can let everyone go home,” Shiro told Sendak. Then he was off to face his fate.

~.~.~.~.~

“They gave me a warning,” Shiro rolled his eyes as he sat down with his friends. The meeting had been hours of lecturing about proper lab edict and relations with co-workers. Shiro couldn’t say much to defend himself. It wasn’t like him to do something like that, but he also didn’t see why he was in trouble for someone else taping him. He hadn’t been the one to post it, but he kept quiet. He already knew what the rebuttal would be.  
  
By the time he was done, there was almost no one in the laboratory wing. He stopped to make sure his own lab had been locked down before he left as well.

Then he went down to the Koi Café. It was a little café run by Coran and his niece Allura. He served a mix of alien and Earth cuisine. It was one of Shiro’s favorite spots. It was a cozy place to stop and eat. It reminded him his grandmothers living room, but with a koi pond against the far wall.

There weren’t any koi in the pond because Coran didn’t like the idea of keeping fish in such a small space. He made up for it with holographic pictures of koi on the wall that moved like they were real.

All the take-home containers and bags had koi scale patterns. The same went for the plates and the glasses were etched in their likeness.

It was a cool theme and Shiro always bumped into a friend when he was here. Right now he was at a table with Keith, Matt, his sister Pidge, and her two crew-mates Hunk and Lance. It was late enough it was just them and a few other customers across the café.

“For which offense?” Keith asked.

“I guess it’s against fraternization policies since we’re working on the same project.” Shiro shrugged.

“I can’t believe you even did it,” Matt had been trying to contain himself the whole conversation. “Shiro! Shiro, what the hell!”

Shiro glared at him, but the others all agreed.

“I mean, I saw it,” Lance started, “How and why did you take all that? You know we could literally see the bulge in your stomach during and after the fact?”

Shiro’s face turned red. Keith elbowed Lance.

“What?” Lance said. “If he didn’t want people asking questions he shouldn’t have done it in public.”

Hunk nodded to showed he agreed.

Allura dropped off Shiro’s order without making eye contact.

“Why a Galra,” Pidge asked. “I just have to know, why? It looked like that should had been painful but you seemed...euphoric.”

Had everyone watched it?

“His species has nothing to do with it,” Shiro said simply. He wasn’t going to say any more than that.

“When were you going to tell me you were dating?” Keith frowned.

“We’re not dating,” Shiro sighed. “We’re just friends.”

“Friends don’t let friends screw them until they can’t walk.” Lance pointed out.

“I’m not explaining it to you,” Shiro said. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“It’s just,” Allura had come back with drink refills. “I knew you worked with them but, to go to their place of meeting, to bond with one of them in that way…”

“I know it seems weird,” He was always delicate when talking with Allura. He never got the full details but he knew that Allura had fought in a war before she came here. She and Coran had lost a lot.

“It’s not just weird,” Allura snapped. “It’s…you do know what it looks like to everyone else.”

“I honestly don’t want to talk about it any more than we already have. I know what you think, I know what it looks like, and I want to move on.”

Allura frowned, but let it drop.

“My ship is coming along if anyone is interested.” Shiro snarked. “We should be able to remote test it in a week or so. Then it’s off to be built full scale.”

“Sounds impressive,” Matt agreed. “But don’t think we’re not going to talk about this more. I have so many questions.”

Shiro sighed before waving down Coran, “Can I get a box for all this.” He rather eat at home if they were going to be like this.

“Oh come on,” Lance chided. “Don’t be sore about it.”

”What happened to the Shiro that would of had a snappy come back?” Matt pouted when Shiro seemingly rolled over and gave up. “Or at least some sarcasm?”

Shiro wasn’t going to fight them about this.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Shiro started the walk home. He was pissed that no one would let it drop. He get’s it, he should have thought about what he was doing and where. He was paying for that now. His superiors were mad at him, his grant funding was in danger, and he was losing the respect of his subordinates.

He’d worked hard to get into the Galaxy Garrison. He put in a lot of extra hours into his training, sleepless night studying, getting time in with the simulators. He was already thought to be a good pilot before he even started his career, and it didn’t take long for him to be known as legendary. Even Iverson used to look at him with pride and now everyone was having trouble looking him in the eye.

Shiro sighed. He didn’t even feel like eating by the time he got home. He kicked off his shoes and put his coat on the hook before he put his food in the fridge. He flopped down on the couch and pulled his phone out. He decided not to check in on social media. He didn’t want to see if anyone was talking about him. He didn’t think they would but he worried that someone may have downloaded the video and posted it somewhere else.

That was the last thing he needed right now.

He could only imagine the fallout if his family found out.

His phone buzzed interrupting his thoughts.

“How did it go?” It was Sendak texting him.

“Horrible,” Shiro sent back honestly. “Officially, they gave me a warning.”

“For what?” Sendak sent back quickly. Shiro could hear his indignant tone through the phone. It made him smile. At least someone was on his side.

“I’m not supposed to have that kind of relationships with my subordinates,” Shiro explained.

“So if we weren’t working together it wouldn’t be a problem?” Sendak asked.

“Yup.” Honestly, Shiro is pretty sure they combed through everything he did looking for a reason to punish him and that was just the best they could come up with. He hadn’t gone against Garrison policy outside of that. But when you get caught taking part in a sexual taboo, everyone wants the people involved to get in trouble.

“How was that horrible?” Sendak asked.

“My sponsors might pull funding and my grants are in danger.”

“But you do good work. They would toss you aside over something like that?”

“It took them a while to find a place for me after the accident.” Shiro went on. “This is my first build so it’s crucial this goes well.”

“Still, they can’t just throw you out if the reason you’re here is that of a malfunction that was their job to take responsibility for.”

“It could have been worse.” Shiro sent back.

“What will they do if it happens again?” Sendak asked after a bit of time.

Shiro blushed. Does that mean Sendak wanted to hook up again? Stupid question. Sendak said it was normal for friends to have sex together. He and Sendak were friends, it meant that he would want to again at some point. But it wasn’t the same for humans so they would have to find some sort of happy medium. Not that Shiro mind hooking up with Sendak. He hadn’t been dicked down like that in a long time, he wouldn’t mind doing it again.

“They didn’t say,” Shiro sent back. “But I’m pretty sure they were hinting at firing me.”

“That would be their loss,” Sendak text came what felt like less than a second later.

“Thanks,” Shiro sent a smiley emoji in his last text.

“Are you still coming out this Saturday?” Sendak asked.

“Yes. Don’t think this means you get out of explaining what qrollos is.” Sendak and the others were very eager to explain the intergalactic sport to him.

“In your English, it’s spelled qrwallos.”

Shiro rolled his eyes but before he could reply Sendak added, “I think you’ll like it. Maybe when the weather gets warmer we can play it together.”

“I doubt the others would want me on their team,” Shiro said. They always joked about how clumsy and uncoordinated humans were. He knew he would be the last pick.

“You can be on my team.”

Rolling on his back, trying not to grin as he texted, “Thanks,” back to Sendak with another smiley face.

“No, thank you. Your rounded bottom gives you enhanced endurance. I can utilize your stamina.”

“So that’s how it is?”

“I am only joking.”

“I know.” Shiro chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping? I thought humans needed to sleep for six to eight hours every day.”

“I’m an adult, sometimes I stay up late. Besides I can’t sleep. I know what tomorrow will be like.”

“I see.” There was a pause after that and Shiro thought that Sendak might have gone to bed but then his phone buzzed again with another message. “At least once we’re done with the project we won’t be working together and rumors will die down.”

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed. “I’m gonna try to get some sleep,” Shiro said. He was actually a little tired and probably should take Sendak’s advice and get some sleep. Sendak text back saying as much. He rolled his eyes but told him goodnight.

He would need his rest if he was going to continue dealing with this fallout.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this installment. There's more to come and I know you're gonna love it!  
> Let me know what you think and drop me a comment ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the day of Shiro’s ship landing. If it lands right, how and who will he celebrate with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets a little heavy.

The remote test had been a success. So far his little ship had gone just past Pluto and it’s moons and come back. It had taken just under a month. Many of the Garrison officials were there for the launch, and check in periodically until the landing.

“Making the ship a drone was defiantly a good idea,” Shiro concluded. “There’s less risk to the pilots in case of malfunction.” He’d created it to be in likeness of the simulators. From there he was able to remote control the ship and keep tabs on oxygen levels and other vital components.

“And full scale it will be sturdy enough to travel outside of our solar system,” Shiro rolled his shoulder. The ship was coming in for a landing and his team was at the helm. Haxus acted as pilot and was bringing the ship down for a smooth landing.

“Easy,” Shiro said. It was more to himself. He knew Haxus had it, but it was still nerve-wracking. Everyone was watching, a failure would be devastating to his career. And worse everyone would blame it on him not keeping his mind on the project. There was a lot at stake.

He held his breath. The ship looked like it was coming in hot, but Haxus knew what to do and it gently glided to the ground and onto the runway.

The room erupted into cheers when it touched down. Shiro was too speechless to react to everyone clasping him on the shoulder and giving him a shake as they congratulated him.

He was still in a daze. He always thought that he would only ever be a pilot. He had a knack for engineering and design but he never fully utilized it because he was so focused on going into space. But after the crash, he had to put his energy somewhere. He had to do something so he could at least touch the surface of his dream.

The ship he designed was going to be the first man-made ship outside of their solar system! He was almost in tear. Well, was in tears. He didn’t notice until Sendak passed him a tissue.

“You did good,” Sendak spared him a small smile.

“We all did,” Shiro turned to his crew. “Thank you, everyone, for all your hard work. The next step is to make this model bigger, and capable of holding more crew members and sustaining them long term. It will be a bigger crew, and I’ll defiantly insist on all of you getting placed there. You all did an amazing job.”

The higher officials gave Shiro his congrats before filing out. Shiro was still beaming, riding the high of achievement.

“We should celebrate,” Haxus declared.

“I want to check out the interior and make sure everything held up.” Shiro insisted.

“We can do that tomorrow,” Sendak agreed and tossed his arm around Shiro’s shoulders. “Right now is a time of celebration. You’re right on the cusp of reaching your ultimate goal!”

Everyone else gave a yip or cheer in agreeance.

“You know what,” Shiro decided. “We all earned it. Let’s do something.”

They decided on Throk’s Tavern. Everyone was in good spirits as they crowded the bar. Shiro had a bit of difficulty getting on the stool, but Thace gave him a little boost.

“Congrats,” Throk set a drink down in front of him.

“You already heard?” Shiro asked as he thanked him for the drink.

“News travels fast.” Throk shrugged.

“Oh. Thanks.” Shiro went to take a sip and stopped “Is this non-alcoholic, because-”

“Yes, Sendak already informed me. Are any of your other friends coming by?” Throk asked. He didn’t seem pleased with the idea of someone besides his regulars, yet he was also pleased with the idea of new patrons and fresh income.

“No. I figure I celebrate with my crew tonight. We’ve been working our asses off to get this project off the ground and keep it flying.”

“They don’t like us, just say it,” Haxus rolled his eyes.

“I’m not sure everyone would be able to get along,” Shiro admitted. “But this is supposed to be a happy time. I wanted to take the time to relax with everyone. We’ve all worked really hard, gave up a lot of our spare time to work late hours.” As he spoke, he could tell they weren't believing him.

“Let it go, guys,” Sendak defended him.

“First round is on me,” Shiro declared passing his credit card to Throk. It seemed to do the trick to lighten the mood because everyone cheered.

~.~.~.~.~

Shiro was still in high spirits by the time they were leaving. Everyone said goodnight as they went their separate ways. It was kind of disappointing. He was hoping everyone would want to go somewhere else and hang out a little longer, but every suggestion he made had been shot down.

“It’s not that they don’t want to,” Sendak explained as they walked through the parking lot. “But there aren’t many establishments that will welcome us.”

“What else do you guys do for fun?” Shiro asked. “Maybe next time we can go there.”

“There is a dance hall,” Sendak mused. “There’s a small theater not too far from here, and in the summer we all like to go to the beach.”

“The beach? You don’t worry about getting mud in your fur?”

“I don’t mind, there are ways of cleaning it,” Sendak shrugged. “It’s nice to spend time outdoors. I didn’t get to do much of that before I came here.”

“We should go camping when it gets warmer,” Shiro said. They arrived at Sendak’s motorcycle, “I think you’ll like it.”

“I’ve done something similar to it.”

“Yeah, but you’ll get to really see the wildlife of Earth. Or at least the stuff in this area.”

“Are you going home?” Sendak asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“I’m not sure if I’d be able…”

“Hold onto me and you’ll be fine,” Sendak secured the helmet on Shiro’s head. “I’ll drive slow, okay?”

“Fine,” Shiro decided. He climbed on the back of the bike as Sendak started it up. He tried to find a way to hold on and feel secure. He had to grip the front of Sendak’s coat tightly and lean into him.

“Ready?” Sendak asked.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Sendak was true to his word and kept to the speed limits, and didn’t go crazy on the turns. Shiro was still tense for the whole ride. He was glad for Sendak’s back being a solid presence. He felt stable even when the bike jostled over bumps in the road.

He felt safe.

Sendak pulled up to Shiro’s place and turned into the driveway.

“Thanks,” Shiro said when Sendak gave him a hand with getting the helmet off. “Do you want to come in? I have microwave pizza if you’re hungry.”

“I wouldn’t mind coming in,” Sendak removed his own helmet as he followed Shiro inside.

Shiro kicked off his shoes by the shoe rack and shrugged off his coat so he could put it own the hook. Sendak followed his lead.

“Make yourself at home,” Shiro flicked on the lights. “The remote should be on the coffee table.” It didn’t take long for him to make them something to eat and placed it on the table for them to share. He’d made two pizza since the pizzas were small and Sendak was big.

“I should bring you some of my favorite foods to try,” Sendak said through a mouthful of pizza. “I’d think you like them. We seem to have similar taste.”

“You should. I think I’ve tried almost all the cuisines of the different backgrounds I know except Galran.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. One of my friends owns a café with their uncle and they serve a variety. I’ve been working my way through the menu. Throk should serve food. It’s so hard to find a place that serves food native to Galra. I bet it would be good for business.”

“I keep telling him to do something with that kitchen in the back, but apparently he can’t find a decent cook,” Sendak said.

“As long as they’re following a recipe there’s only but so much room for error.”

“You try telling him that.”

“I don’t think Throk likes me that much,” Shiro snorted. “He likes when I’m ordering drinks but that’s it.”

“Throk is just odd,” Sendak assured him. “He’s a little rough around the edges but he’s a good guy.”

“I don’t doubt that. I just also know he doesn’t like me.” Shiro sighed. “Is it like what you said before? Does everyone think I don’t want people to know I hang out with you guys, because it’s not that. I just know what my friends are like and I know you guys aren’t going to get along. A few of them lack sensitivity.”

“I know it’s tricky to navigate,” Sendak said. “No one is blaming you.”

“Thanks.”

“So, do I want to know why there’s a picture of you dressed like a vegetable on your mantle?” Sendak was smirking.

“I what?” Shiro had forgotten all about that picture from his third-grade play. His mom gave him a framed version of him and his family after the play and always got sad when he put it away. He pushed it towards the back so it wasn’t easily spotted but still was visible enough for his family. “That’s not important.”

“You’re red in the face,” Sendak informed him.

“It was an embarrassing time for me.” Shiro lamented.

“Tell me about it. I must know what led to you being in that ridiculous costume,” Sendak demanded.

“When I was still in school we were going over nutrition. To show what we learned we wrote a play we were going to put on for the school. It was only at night for the parents, but it was still a lot of work. I was out sick the day we were picking rolls. I just wanted to be the guy who pulled the curtain, but someone else took that part. I ended up being a carrot, which was also the second narrator of the story. I had so many lines.”

Sendak snickered. He then took another two slices of pizza.

“Did you ever do anything like that?” Shiro asked.

“No, my education was…a bit different. More structured.” Sendak lamented.

“Lucky,” Shiro huffed. “Up until middle school, I was forced to have to participate in those kinds of events. When I got to the Galaxy Garrison it wasn’t so bad. I was actually able to base my projects on what I was interested in. I mean, I still got stuck in a play about the planets, but it wasn’t as bad.”

“What planet were you?”

“Pluto,” Shiro sighed. “Ironic right?”

“You might not be able to fly anymore,” Sendak put a comforting hand on Shiro’s thigh. “But the work you’re doing is still impressive. Think of it as an opportunity rather than a loss.”

“Is that how you felt?” Shiro asked looking at Sendak’s mechanical hand.

“Not at first,” Sendak admitted. “It was a loss that left me vulnerable. At first, I thought it would be better if I had died. But I got another chance at life after the loss. I proved myself to be capable without it, not just to others but to myself.”

“But you still got the prosthetic,” Shiro pointed out.

“I did,” Sendak nodded. “I wasn’t able to do all the tasks I needed without two hands. So I got this.”

Shiro nodded, but was otherwise quiet.

“Are you thinking of getting one?” Sendak asked.

“I don’t know. It would feel weird after all this time. When all this first happened I would have been elated to know this kind of technology existed. I could barely function before.”

“Was the recovery process that strenuous?”

“It wasn’t just that,” Shiro sighed trying to decide if he really wanted to get into all that tonight. But Sendak wasn’t put off by the conversation. He seemed genuinely curious and concerned. “I was in a coma for two months after the crash when I woke up I could barely remember what had happened. My mom was crying over me, and I was hooked up to all this equipment. Then they told me I’d lost my arm.

“Physical therapy was a bitch. I hadn’t just lost an arm, I had several severe injuries to the rest of my body. I could barely move on my own and for a while, everyone thought I would be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”

He still vividly remembers the first few weeks of physical therapy. His hand grasping one of the metal bar on either side of him as he tried to support himself on shaky legs. His whole body fatigued within a few moments of being outside the wheelchair. The nurses were the only thing keeping him up as he tried to take one step forward. Tears sprang to his eyes whenever he tried to move, but he grits his teeth and kept going.

“You walked just fine now. You don’t even have a limp.” Sendak pointed out.

“Once they told me their predictions I would be damned if I let it happen. I put more effort into recovery no matter how frustrating it was. I couldn’t just roll over and give up. I did everything I could to get back to where I was, but it still wasn’t enough. The garrison couldn’t take me back as a pilot. Everything I had done had been for nothing. Not just the physical therapy, but I spent my whole life trying to get to space. All of my studies led up to me being able to achieve that and then suddenly I couldn’t.

“They said the crash happened because of a “piloting error.” But I always thought it was weird that one engine blew, the other failed, my landing gear malfunctioned, and my seat wouldn’t eject. But the investigation didn’t find anything and they kept the label of piloting error, smearing my record. And by that point, my record was all I had.

“I went from being a legendary pilot to a cautionary tale for cadets. It was so disorienting and I couldn’t find a way to get back on my feet. Everyone tried to be supportive but I always got the, “At least your alive,” speech. Or, “You’re lucky it was just your arm,” “It could have been a lot worse,” but it felt like it was exactly that. I couldn’t figure out how to explain to that with my arm went my self-worth.

“But after a while, whenever I tried to talk about it, it felt like they were just brushing me off. No one really cared to listen. But it’s not something that goes away once the injuries heal. I still get little flashes of the crash, and this wailing, screaming, pressure on my chest. I just learned to work past it on my own and put my energy elsewhere. It’s how I got back into engineering. It was something I was good at and if my ships can fly into space, it’s kind of like I can too.”

Sendak frowned, but his eye held understanding as he said, “This has been weighing heavily on you?”

“Kind of,” Shiro shrugged. “I ruined the mood didn’t I?”

“You needed to vent. I won’t hold that against you. It sounds like you’ve been looking for someone to talk to about this for a while.”

Shiro nodded. “It felt like the rug had been pulled from under me. I had no idea what I was going to do. I figured it out eventually, but it would have been easier if things were different once I healed. I know everyone did there best.”

“But it wasn’t what you needed,” Sendak somehow just knew.

“It feels so good to finally say it out loud,” Shiro laughed nervously. “I thought I was just being self-loathing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with needing a little understanding,” Sendak said.

“I should put all this in the kitchen,” Shiro noted the empty plates and cups. He hadn’t expected the conversation to take such a turn. He hadn’t talked to anyone about his feelings surrounding his recovery. Things were getting a bit heavy for a day that was supposed to be about celebrating. But he guessed it was fitting. He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the loss of his arm.

Shiro bumped into Sendak on his way back to the living room.

“I was going to ask if you wanted help washing things.” Sendak had to look down in order to look him in the eye.

“Nah, I just threw it all in the dishwasher,” Shiro told him.

“Are you okay now?” Sendak was never one to beat around the bush. “If you ever need to talk I’m willing to listen.”

“Thanks,” Shiro smiled up at him. “I’ll remember that next time I feel like whining.”

“You’re not whining,” Sendak cupped Shiro’s face with his hand. “If anyone tells you otherwise then they are insensitive to your needs.”

Shiro blinked slowly, suddenly a little woozy. He never knew what to do when Sendak was like this, or when anyone offered him a shoulder for that matter. And yet, somehow he found himself kissing Sendak again. Sendak was purring and wrapping his arms around him. It wasn’t quick and fast like at the tavern. Shiro could feel a steady build-up of emotions bursting in his chest as he pressed himself flushed to Sendak and let Sendak feel up his thigh and ass.

But then there was a knock at the door to pull Shiro from the moment.

“I should get that,” He said as he reluctantly separated himself from Sendak. The Galra didn’t seem to mind. He took a seat back on the couch while Shiro went to go see who was at the door.

“Hey,” Keith waved when Shiro opened the door.

“Hey what’s up?” Shiro asked.

“We heard about your flight landing. Sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah? I just wanted to congratulate you in person. We were gonna take you out to celebrate but your lab was closed so I guess you weren’t on base anymore, and I couldn’t get a hold of you on your phone. I figured I find you at home.”

“I treated my build crew to drinks,” Shiro admitted. “I was going to catch up with you guys tomorrow.” He could tell Keith was trying to look past him. He saw the motorcycle in the driveway and was trying to figure out who Shiro had over.

“Okay,” Keith said. “I’ll let Coran know. He wants to make you some kind of cake. He was panicking because it takes a day to make or something like that. He'll be glad to know he has more time.” Keith's eyes widen when he spotted Sendak in the background. “You didn’t tell me you had someone over.”

“We’re just hanging out,” Shiro clarified knowing where Keith’s mind had gone. Though in the last few minutes Shiro is pretty sure that the intent of this visit had changed. He really wanted to get back to see where this was headed but he also didn’t want to turn Keith away. “Do you want to come in? I could throw another pizza in the microwave.”

“No, I’m good,” Keith made a face. He had a hatred of microwave food that Shiro didn’t understand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Shiro waved as Keith left. He closed the door before he turned back to Sendak. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to just pick up where they left off so he sat next to him but stayed close.

Sendak leaned in and nuzzled him. Shiro reciprocated the best he could. It wasn’t long until he could feel Sendak putting his weight on him. He was pushing him down onto the couch. Sendak was purring like last time but the cadence was different. Eventually, he had Shiro covered with his own mass.

“Sendak,” Shiro gasped when their groins lined up. He hadn’t noticed how turned on he was until his semi-hard cock met Sendak’s erection through their pants. He let his hips roll against Sendak’s naturally as they started to rut.

Shiro moaned and relaxed into the couch as Sendak rumbled above him. He closed his eyes and let pleasure wash over him. Soft moans fell from his lips as Sendak’s bulge moved between his legs.

Sendak grasped Shiro’s hips to keep him in place as they got close to the end. He was humping Shiro with an enthusiastic fever; and saying something in Galran that Shiro didn’t quiet understand. But he thinks Sendak called him sexy.

Shiro was too far gone to return the compliment. Sendak kept rubbing against  him. Heat pooled in his groin, coiling, ready for release.He let out a quiet moan as he came in his pants. 

Sendak wasn’t to far behind him. He let out a growl to signal his release before collapsing on top of Shiro. He went straight to licking Shiro’s neck and telling him how good he felt. 

Shiro basked in the attention. Shiro put his arm around Sendak’s side as he hugged him. He managed to get out a muffled thanks.

Once they had settled in it wasn’t long until Shiro was dozing off with Sendak snoring on top of him.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, that wasn’t them getting together. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See ya next week.  
> Drop me a comment and let me know what you think ^o^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sendak reflects on his relationship with Shiro, and Shiro gets some unexpected news.

Shiro wasn’t sure why he had to blow out candles on his cake, but Coran insisted. It was either a cultural difference or Coran was getting normal festivities mixed up with birthdays, again. Either way, Shiro appreciated it.

He’d gone into the lab early this morning to check out his ship himself. It was undamaged, inside and out. He couldn’t wait until the real launch. The garrison already had their sights set on the closest planet outside of their solar system. A date was already set for the launch, and a flight crew was being decided on.

He already knew that Keith would have first dibs for co-captain of the flight. Keith was their top pilot since Shiro, but he didn’t have much experience yet, so his first few flights would be with a senior pilot. A mission like this would have several crew members and it would be a good chance for him to watch how a captain handles a large group.

“So what’s next for you?” Allura asked as she cut the cake and started to serve everyone.

“I’m not sure yet,” Shiro admitted. “Right now I just want to let this victory settle in.”

“I heard they already have a roaster for the crew,” Lance smirked. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to consider me for one of the piloting positions. Who knows, I might just get picked as captain.”

“You just graduated?” Pidge pointed out. “Do you know how many people who outrank you want this trip? My dad’s mission proposal almost didn’t make it into consideration. It’s super competitive.”

“I don’t see why,” Hunk shrugged. “It’s not the first flight outside our solar system.”

“It’s the first one made by human’s,” Matt explained.

“Wait,” Shiro cut in. “Sam’s trying to go back into space?”

“Yeah it’s all he talks about,” Matt chuckled. “He wants at least one more expedition before he retires. The Garrison is making him go through counseling to make sure he’ll be okay in space. It’s just a matter of time until he’s cleared for take off.”

“What about you?” Shiro asked.

“I’ve been done with grief counseling so I’ll be back on the roaster in a month or so.”

Matt hadn’t started his own research yet, and tended to float around the labs as an assistant. It meant he sometimes got put on other scientific teams when they needed an extra hand in space.

“What about you?” Matt asked. “I’m sure one of the alien ships is high tech enough that you could fly it with one hand.”

Shiro shrugged, “Maybe at some point.”

He never planned on going back out there. But he couldn’t say that.

“Congrats,” Keith said as he sat down. He was running a little behind.

“What took you so long?” Lance questioned him. “Allura already started cutting the cake.”

“Sorry, I got caught up in a meeting.” Keith apologized.

“About what?” Allura asked. She was on her break so she could sit down with them for a few minutes.  
  
“New mission. I’ll explain later.” Keith said. “But today is about Shiro.”

“This is really good Coran,” Shiro pointed to the cake in emphasis.

“You can take whatever is left home with you,” Coran said cheerily.

“Thank you,” Shiro said.

“Oh, we’re not done,” Lance grinned. “We’re hitting the town tonight. Allura closes up in a few minutes, and we’re gonna have some fun.”

“Not like last time though?” Shiro scrutinized.

“No, we promise. No drinking this time. Just good clean fun.” Matt promised.

The night went well. They went out to eat at one of Shiro’s favorite restaurants. They insisted that they were treating him. It was just a nice night out with friends and catching up. No worries about deadlines, or blueprints. He didn’t know what his next project was but for today that didn’t matter.

“We got you a little something,” Allura beamed as she passed him a gift bag.

“Should I be worried?” Shiro raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t see what was inside through all the tissue paper. There had been one birthday when Shiro had received a bunch of…intimate items as a prank present.

“No,” Matt promised. “Just look inside.”

Shiro had to get through, what he can only imagine was, a foot of tissue paper before he got to the gift. It was an astronaut teddy bear.

“Thanks, I…” Shiro didn’t finish what he was saying because he notices Allura leaning over the table to place a flower crown on his head. Since she’d gotten here she had been excited about pop culture. She liked keeping up with the trends. If Shiro had to guess this was the newest one she found.

“You’re king for the day!” Allura declared.

~.~.~.~.~

Shopping was always a hassle for Sendak. The doorways were too low, the isles were too small, and the only nice store was on the other side of town where the humans lived. Where the Galra settled was understocked, and unkept. The few run by Galran were small and just starting out.

Sendak shopped locally first before he went to the other side of town. He had acquired a taste for the salty and savory foods that dominated this region. He had to go to a human store for that. He learned to do his best to ignore the way people cringed around him. He got in, found what he wanted, and left.

There were a few other things he had to do today before he was going to meet up with the guys. He thought of texting Shiro, then remembered that Shiro had promised his friends the day. Speaking of the devil, as Sendak meandered his way back to his bike he spotted Shiro across the street with a group of friends.

It was almost surreal. They were all chatting excitedly and Shiro had yet to stop smiling. He had flowers about his head and was clutching some sort of stuffed toy. He looked happy, a lot more carefree than Sendak had ever seen. Not that it should bother him. But he wouldn’t mind getting that reaction from him once in a while.

“Why not just let him know you like him,” Haxus asked when Sendak explained everything at Throk’s Tavern.

“I don’t,” Sendak said. “We’re just friends.”

“You don’t knot friends.” Haxus’s nose wrinkled.

“It slipped in,” Sendak defended.

“Didn’t look like it,” Thace agreed with Haxus.

“You asked why he wasn’t here. I told you he was with friends. Why are we making a big deal out of this?” Sendak let his voice snarl to show his displeasure.

“But then you got all sulky about it.” Raht took a sip of his drink. “Why even mention the flowers and the toy?”

“You don’t find it odd he wore flowers?” Sendak asked. “The humans he passed on the street looked at him like it was odd.”

“It's called a flower crown,” Haxus explained. “It’s a pop culture thing mostly indulged by the younger generation.” Haxus showed him a picture on his phone.

“But why?” Sendak was still confused.

“Aesthetics, or something like that,” Haxus rolled his eyes. “Humans are very indulgent.”

“So when are you going to start courting him?” Raht asked, never one to let things go.

“I’m not going to.” Sendak snapped.

“Yes, he has,” Haxus corrected. “I see you constantly having to carry every heavy object insight for him. Taking over parts of the project so he can, ‘Take some time to rest.’”

“I don’t sound like that.” Sendak snapped.

“Shiro, you’re so smart. Shiro, you’re such a fantastic leader. Wow, Shiro, you’re so strong. Hey Shiro, can I flex for you?” Haxus went on.

“Sometimes he needs help lifting things, and I wasn’t flexing.”

“Is it so bad?” Haxus asked, leaning on the bar top. “He seems pretty enthralled by you.”

“Or,” Throk suggested. “He’s one of those people.”

“Those people?” Thace was confused.

“Those people who have a fetish for aliens. And didn’t you say he’s always had an interest in aliens? And he wasn’t opposed to you bonding with him. He just assumed you were taking a sexual interest in him. He probably didn’t care who it was.”

“Shiro isn’t like that,” Sendak defended.

“I’m sure. He just always has an excuse for why he never brings his friends around. Have you ever even met them?”

“I’ve met Keith and I know Matt. We all work in the same wing.”

“All I’m saying,” Throk started. “Is we didn’t live through a war just to come here and be treated like spectacles by a bunch of fleshy mouth creatures, who don’t have the balk or the intelligence to participate in intergalactic discussions. Yet, they still try and act like they are the superior species.”

Sendak didn’t have anything to say back. Normally he could pull rank and tell everyone to shut up, but here they were equals. It was humbling to have to put up with everyone on their terms.

“Give him a break guys,” Haxus said. “If Sendak trusts him then we should give him a chance.”

And then there was Haxus. Haxus had been his Lieutenant during the war. They worked together for many years and had a mutual trust and respect for one another. Haxus was more combative where Sendak was more strategic. They had become brothers in arms so to speak. Most of the time Haxus acted as an older brother. He’d become protective of Sendak when they were still foot soldiers and Sendak lost parts of himself in combat.

“I trust him, but I’m not trying to court him.” Sendak corrected once again.

They all just gave him a look before Raht broke the silence and said, “I give it a week until he’s actively making an effort.”

“Three days, to the hour,” Haxus bet confidently.

Sendak didn’t see why everyone was making a big deal out of it. Yes, he wanted to get to know Shiro better, but that wasn’t evidence of a crush. He wanted to make friends here, and start to settle into some form of a normal life. Maybe he was being a little overzealous in some respects. He rarely interacted with anyone outside of the Empire at this point. His people skills weren’t the best. He just wanted to make a good impression and cement their friendship.

Shiro was a nice guy. He didn’t shy away from Sendak despite their differences. He treated him the same as everyone else. He was easy to be around, and Sendak enjoyed his company. Shiro had this way of lightening the mood after a long day. When he smiled it brightened Sendak’s day and…

Sendak found himself pausing mid-thought a few days later. Maybe the others had a point. He wouldn’t mind being more emotionally intimate with Shiro. He wanted to be more than friends, and he thinks Shiro wants that too. Some of the conversations they’ve had, such as the one about their arms, were things Shiro didn’t even tell his human friends.

This could just mean Sendak was on a different level of friendship. Close enough to know, or distant enough that it wouldn’t matter.

But the more he thought about it, the more he became disillusioned about his own feelings. Despite the fact that Shiro was nothing he had been taught to look for in a mate (Shiro wasn’t terribly strong, and his missing arm should be considered a weakness) he still had deep affections for him.

He liked Shiro.

And Sendak, not being one to pussyfoot around, was going to tell him.

At least they were no longer on the same project. He turned down the offer to be apart of the full build so he could get a change of pace. But now it wouldn’t be against protocol anymore. Shiro’s job would be safe if he also wanted to be in a relationship.

He had to remind himself that rejection was always an option.

Sendak was going to head over to Shiro’s lab to talk to him, but he had already gone for the day. It was Friday so it most likely meant that Shiro was at the Koi Café. There were puffy pastries there Shiro called his end of the week treat. But Sendak had caught him stuffing his face with them frequently throughout the week.

Sure enough, as Sendak parked his bike out front he could see Shiro sitting inside with friends. The crowd didn’t deter him. The moment he entered the café a silence fell over it. The waitress squawked at him in surprise. Sendak recognized her. Who would have thought that the Altean Princess would settle of working here after the war? But he wasn’t here for her.

Shiro looked up when the café quieted.

“Hey,” Shiro called out to him, passing him a smile. He looked genuinely happy to see him. His friends were saying something to him, keeping their voices low. He wasn’t surprised that Shiro seemed to have friends of different species. And he knew exactly what they were trying to tell him before he got close. But it didn’t deter him.

“You wanna pull up a chair,” Shiro offered. His face was a little pinched now that his friends were very quietly trying to object. “I didn’t know you came here. We could have-”

“I don’t come here normally,” Sendak cut him off.

“Oh. Well, you want to sit down since you’re here? They have this-”

“I wanted to talk to you. I figured I could catch up to you here.” Sendak explained.

“What’s up?” Shiro looked a little concerned now. Somehow he was keeping composure despite the fact that all eyes were on them.

“I wanted to clear up something I said a while back,” Sendak started. “Earlier I said I had no interest in you romantically, and that isn’t true. I like you, Shirogane. And I wanted to say something before an inappropriate amount of time passed to do so.” As he spoke he watched the way his words dawned on Shiro. The human blushed and steadily turned pinker until he started to turn red.

“That’s all I wanted to say,” Sendak finished. “I’ll leave you to your meal.”

~.~.~.~.~

Sendak turned to leave before Shiro could fully process what he had said. Shiro went to get up to go after him but Allura cut off his path, and Sendak was already out the door.

“Allura?” Shiro tried to sidestep her.

“What are you doing,” Allura’s voice was pitched. “Is that the Galra that you, that you…”

Shiro, who was finally starting to turn a normal color, blushed when Allura hit the nail on the head.

“Him! Shiro, do you know who that is?” Allura was almost in a panic.

“Yeah, we work together.”

“He doesn’t know much about the war Allura,” Coran reminded her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“What don’t I know?” Shiro sat back down. He knew he couldn’t get past Allura if he tried. She was a lot stronger than him and was very determined to explain something.

“Sendak was Zarkon’s First Commander of the Galra Empire. The Empire that enslaved more than half the universe!” Allura couldn’t contain how upset she was. “He was his most loyal foot soldier and he was next in line to inherit the Empire in case of Zarkon’s defeat.”

Shay, one of Hunks friends, nodded along before adding in her own antidote.

“He was in charge of my planet,” Shay said. “We were forced to work day in and out in the mines. We weren’t allowed on the surface. Until recently we didn’t even know what the word freedom was. He was the most feared Commander. He slaughtered many on the battlefield and conquered many planets in Zarkon’s name.”

Shiro frowned, “I thought you said officers who tortured or were overtly cruel were tried in some sort of universal court.”

“Apparently there wasn’t a strong enough case against him,” Allura crossed her arms. “No one claims to have seen him be cruel, and there’s no evidence against him. Everyone is just too scared to come forward”

“Did he?” Shiro looked to Shay. If anyone would know it would be her.

“I never saw him,” Shay admitted. “We received orders from the soldiers under his command. He oversaw the whole system and a few other in our quadrant.”

“He still killed many. If given the chance he would go back to Zarkon,” Allura said. “I don’t doubt that.”

“I should still talk to him face to face,” Shiro stood again.

“Shiro,” Keith cut in looking concerned.

“Look,” Shiro sighed. “I know you guys won’t get it, but we are friends. This is all new information to me and I want to give him a straight answer.” It was a lot to process. He didn’t want to believe it, but before he knew it everyone who was aware of the war was able to say they had heard of Sendak and his endeavors. They knew about Haxus, and Throk, and almost everyone one else he hung out with.

So this is why the Galra were so isolated. Not just because of their bulk and claws, but because of their history in the war. They were no longer in power but the other species still feared them. And who could blame them? Zarkon and his army controlled the universe for more than ten thousand years. They saw the Galra as monsters, as their past captures, and relived every terrifying moment when they saw them.

Did Sendak know that Shiro didn’t know about all this? Had he been relying on Shiro’s ignorance of the situation?

Details of the war hadn’t been spread mainstream yet. You would only know if you talked to someone who lived through it, and the ones who did only talked among themselves. But, Sendak had been honest with Shiro up to this point. Or at least he thought he had been. He wasn’t sure what his next move should be.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get to hear Sendak’s side of the story next chapter and Shiro makes a decision!  
> Let me know what you think and drop a comment ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro confronts Sendak about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a little late. I'm super sick so editing took a bit longer this time. Anyways the last chapter was a bit long so I split it. That's why this fic went from 6 to 7 chapters. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Shiro had never been to Sendak’s place before. He had to text Haxus to get the address. Sendak lives in an apartment not too far from Shiro’s place. Sendak was up on the ninth floor, but there was no working elevator. The complex wasn’t run down, but it wasn’t in the best condition either. The carpeting was coming up in some places, and the wallpaper was peeling.

He knocked on the door and waited. It didn’t take long for Sendak to open up.

“Hey,” Shiro gave a small wave. “Can I come in?”

Sendak moved aside and allowed him entrance.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” Sendak asked.

“You confessed to me out of the blue and you’re asking me what I’m doing here?”

Sendak’s left ear twitched. He sat on the couch before inviting Shiro to sit with him.

“So?” Sendak asked.

“I have a few questions about what you did before you came to Earth,” Shiro said. “Allura told me a lot of stuff, but I wanted to hear it from you.”

“I’m sure the Princess had a lot to say,” Sendak snapped. “Sitting high and mighty, looking down at us from above.”

“Sendak?” Shiro leaned away when he heard the growl in his voice. Sendak took a deep breath and tried to calm down once he saw he frighted him.

“How about we start from the beginning?” Shiro suggested.

“You want to know about the war?” Sendak seemed perplexed. “There’s not much to know.”

“I want to know what your role was.” Shiro clarified. “Everyone is making it sound like you’re a completely different person than the one I know.”

“There isn’t much to say. I started out as a foot soldier. I was one of the strongest warriors in my squadron and quickly moved up the ranks until I was a Commander. Haxus was my lieutenant. We conquered many planets in the name of Zarkon, but it’s not as if we had a choice.”

“You were scared of Zarkon?” Shiro didn’t get a response from Sendak at first. He knew the answer though, and didn’t push. He waited for Sendak to continue.

“I only ever knew life in the Empire. I come from a litter of more than two hundred. My parents were the two strongest before me. They were made to give genetic materials and me and my sibling were engineered in an attempt to make a stronger warrior. My whole life I was trained to fight, to kill, to be loyal to the Empire.”

“It was the only family you knew?”

Sendak let out a bark of laughter, “It’s nothing like what you perceive as a family. A family doesn’t put someone to death for failing to take over a planet and make you watch so you know what happens if you fail. I may have been a celebrated warrior, but that doesn’t mean that they were kind to me. My training was the same as the others, and my punishment was the same. I only excelled because I knew what would happen if I didn’t.”

“They said you brutalized the natives of the planets you controlled. And that, that just didn’t sound like you.”

“I never did more than what was needed to take over. If I was told to conquer a planet, then I did. I put down the rebellion groups and put our own system in place. Once the fighting was over we had soldiers on the ground, and control of the area. There was no need to continue to be violent,” Sendak said. “I was only there to do my job. I wasn’t out to cause unnecessary pain.”

Shiro let out a sigh of relief.

“You believe me over your Princess?”

“I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Shiro looked up to him, completely trusting. “I know Allura was very upset about what happened, but I…”

“She’s upset?” Sendak didn’t hide the sarcasm in his voice. “I once came to her for help and she turned me away.”

That Shiro found hard to believe. Allura was very compassionate with victims of the Empire. But then again, she never tried to hide her bias towards the Galra.

“My duties, at one point, mostly involved transport of goods and prisoners. I was once told to get a group of cubs to a new training base. They were like me, a combination of the two of the best warriors. I knew what awaited them, but I didn’t have a choice. I came across the Princess ship and asked her to take the cubs somewhere else. Haxus and I both knew we would probably face death for losing them, but we both decided it would be worth it if we could give them a second chance. But she refused to have them on her ship. And no refuge planet would welcome a Galra even if they were just cubs.”

“What did you do?” Shiro asked.

“I brought them to the training base. My job ended after transport.”

Shiro could tell that Sendak tried to emotionally detached himself from what had happened. But before Shiro could say anything to comfort him, Sendak continued talking.

“I know what the rest of the universe thinks of us,” Sendak sighed. “We’ve done horrible things as a species but we were just as enslaved as anyone else. Our young were taken from us so they could fight. Those who didn’t conform were tortured or killed. I didn’t know there was another way of life until I was made to occupy my first conquered planet. A planet of Galra who were no longer loyal to the Empire. After only interacting with others to train or for discipline, it was odd to see family units. I was still very young at the time: just old enough to no longer be called a cub.

“This one cub stepped out of line when we were making them harvest grain, and as per my training I knew I had to punish him, and his mother threw herself over him and threatened me. I’d never seen anything like it. I let it go and had them go back to work, but afterward, I became fascinated by watching the villagers interact. I had been told that what they were doing was weakness found in other people, but these were my own people doing exactly that. Parents taking care of cubs, older cubs looking after the younger ones, and villagers assisting one another.

“And once they saw I was only there for resources they started to dote on me. A very odd thing to do for your overseer don’t you think? But they brought me bug repellent for the native insects, clothes that were better suited to the elements. Some would give me candy. They were very kind, it was hard for me to leave and even harder to reenter my life with the Empire.

“When the end came, and the Princess and her coalition finally dethroned Zarkon, there was nowhere for the soldiers that fought alongside him to go. We had no home planet, and no one else wanted us. This little planet was ignorant to the ongoings of the rest of the universe. It was nice at first. For once I wasn’t bound by my past.

“Then others started to come here as well, and so did our reputation. I’m not going to lie, I’ve done some horrible things, but I’m not like those who went out of their way to torture the helpless.

“After the war was the end of all that for me, and I was grateful for it. I settled in with some of the others and we’ve been trying to make the best of things. Which was hard at first. We gave so much to the Empire. Many lost limbs; families were separated. The systems for the Central Command System were destroyed, which is a shame. I was one of the strongest and I don’t doubt that my DNA was used to make more soldiers. I probably have cubs out there who I’ll never meet…”

Shiro wrapped Sendak in a hug the best he could and held him close. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine a life like that. To be born to no one, to be treated cruelly his whole life and to be expected to fight for his captors.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Shiro tried to be comforting. Sendak leaned into his hold. They didn’t say anything for a long time. Sendak never returned the embrace, but he didn’t try to move away from it either. He let Shiro run his hand through the short furs on the top of his head.

“You’re not put off by all that,” Sendak finally asked.

“No,” Shiro said firmly. “It sounds like you’ve had a hard life up to this point. And I can tell you’re sincere in your remorse. I don’t think any less of you. You’re so strong to have gone through all that and still be you, and work at being a better you and, ack!” Shiro got cut off when Sendak started to smother him with his weight like he had a few nights ago. But he was at least purring now, so that had to be a good sign.

“You’re too kind,” Sendak was finally facing him again.

“So,” Shiro smirked. “Never took you for the dramatic type. You all but burst in to confess.”

“It wasn’t as you say,” Sendak frowned. “Saying something sooner rather than later is always ideal in these kinds of situations.”

“Still a pretty bold move.”

“Now who’s being dramatic. You could very well give me an answer instead of dragging this out.”

“That’s true,” Shiro gave him a teasing smile. “I do like you. I wouldn’t mind dating and seeing where things go. You guys do date, right?”

“I think what you’re referring to is courting. There’s a ritual for it in our culture, certain steps that need to be followed as a couple gets to know each other. It involves one on one time, gift giving and things of that nature. I’ve only heard of it, I’ve never taken part in it.”

“Sounds like dating,” Shiro agreed.

“And you want to?”

“I just said I did.” Shiro rubbed their nosed together, in what the others had told him, was a Galran kiss.

Sendak nuzzled him back. Shiro let himself relax into the couch and just enjoy the attention. He could only imagine the fallout he was going to have with his friends after this. But for now, he tried not to think about it. Sendak was snuggled up to him, and he knew he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

And he was okay with that.

~.~.~.~.~

“Did you let him down gently?” Hunk was the first one to ask when they met up again. He wasn’t the only one who wanted an answer. The others were sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for Shiro to confirm or deny.

“We talked,” Shiro said as he sat down. He had his cocoa and Allura brought him the rest of his order so he didn’t have to juggle everything. He was glad that they just had a system now, his ego had taken a beating the first time he had to admit that he needed help. It wasn’t the asking that killed him. It was the look of shock on her face and the reaction of disbelief that had been off-putting.

“And?” Matt was on the edge of his seat. “What did you tell him?”

Shiro didn’t even have it in him to sigh. He knows they wanted an answer but they didn’t need to make a spectacle out of him.

“I gave him a chance to explain what happened,” Shiro shrugged.

“And you believed him?” Lance blurted out.

“Yes. He was remorseful. I know he’s done some really bad stuff, but since he’s broken away from the Empire he just wants a quiet life.”

“Shiro,” Allura interjected.

“Just give him a chance. I’m not saying you have to forget everything Zarkon has done, but the guys I hang out with aren’t inherently evil.”

“You’re dating him aren’t you?’ Pidge deadpanned. She didn’t seem upset but she also didn’t seem surprised. It put all eyes back on Shiro who, while he had a poker face, couldn’t control the blush that colored his cheek.

“You are! Shiro! Shiro why?” Matt was in disbelief.

“How could you tell?” Lance looked to Pidge.

“He hasn’t taken his scarf off since we got here. I can only imagine what Galra teeth do to a human neck.”

“I just haven’t gotten around to taking it off,” Shiro pulled down the front of his scarf to show his love bite free neck. Sendak didn’t bite, but he did like to lick over Shiro’s pulse, which is actually how he had woken up after their talk.

Sendak’s erection had been ever-present on Shiro’s leg. It had been a good night. Turns out that Sendak had been waiting to get his hands on him again. He’d been excited to finally see Shiro naked and made sure not to draw attention to the scars that littered his body from the crash. Sendak was a lot more fluff than Shiro had anticipated.

Which wasn’t really the point. Sendak was tall but he wasn’t lanky. Shiro could feel how strong he was when they pressed against each other. Sendak’s dick was massive. Shiro couldn’t believe that he had taken all that and that he planned to do it again.

It had been easy to get into the mood. Sendak had been all over him, fascinated by the flesh of Shiro’s sides and the softness of his thighs. Before he knew it m there was a tongue in his ass, slowly opening him up so he could take Sendak’s fat cock. He moaned and spread his legs more. Sendak took charge and lavish Shiro with pleasure.

They made love on the couch that night. Shiro clung to Sendak letting out cries of pleasure as he came unraveled. It was slower than when they were at the tavern, more sensational. They only broke eye contact when Sendak stared to lick and nibble at his neck. Shiro melted as Sendak groaned and growled his enjoyment.

But he wasn’t telling the others that.

“He was only a pawn in the grand scheme of things,” Shiro said. “If you knew the way most of them lived before they came here, you would be a little more sympathetic.”

“And now you’re a Galra expert?” Allura crossed her arms. She wasn’t having it.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Shiro sighed. “They were forced to fight. They didn’t have a choice, and a lot of them came here to start over. I think, maybe if you keep an open mind, you guys would be able to get along.”

“Get along, with a Galra,” Allura looked at him in disbelief.

“Keith made co-pilot for the mission,” Hunk interjected.

“Congrats,” Shiro welcomed the change of subject. He should have known it was too soon to bring it up. But everyone kept asking him about Sendak and for once Shiro would like to hang out with all his friends instead of having to split his time. He didn’t like having to prioritize his time with one group over the other and make them feel less important.

But truth be told, it was moments like this when he rather be with Sendak and his friends. He always felt a need to be a certain way around these guys. Since the crash, he’d been expected to get better and go back to normal. While he was getting better he knew he could never be who he was before. He just wasn’t sure how to tell them that and always felt a pressure to be as close to what he’d once been as possible.

But Sendak and the other Galra didn’t know him before the crash. They had no preconceived expectations on how he should act. They accepted him as he was. They never made a scene of his insecurities or frustrations with his limitation, where other had said he was overreacting.

He clearly remembers trying to explain how upsetting it was trying to do things for himself once he was home and finished with his physical theory. Everyone shrugged it off and told him he had to be patient: thing would get easier. It still hadn’t. He wasn’t a lefty and it made everything twice as hard since he lost his right arm.

He couldn’t do anything right and it was starting to weigh on him. It didn’t help when not long after that conversation, he needed to open something in his lab and he couldn’t get the damn lid to turn. He gave up and decided to just get something to eat. Not surprising he hadn’t been able to balance it and everything fell to the floor when he tried to set the tray on the desk in his office.

He wasn’t sure what came over him but looking at the mess and realizing what had become of his life started to overwhelm him, and he started to break down. He slid to the floor trying to clean everything up, but he only made it worse. He gave up and put his back to the wall trying to keep it together.

Sendak had come in to ask a question about the project but paused when he saw the state he was in. He looked to the mess then to Shiro, then came in and sat beside him. He didn’t say anything even when Shiro started to crack, but gently guided Shiro to lean against him. He let him express his pain in a way that only wet sobs and hot tears could.

Sendak grasped Shiro’s hand in his and waited for the tears to subside before he told him, “You’re stronger than you know. You can get through this.” And somehow that had been enough.

Yet, looking at his friends now, he couldn’t fault them. He couldn’t bring himself to tell them what he needed from them, so how were they supposed to know. But he still enjoyed their company and hanging out. That thought brought him back to the moment. Keith was still in the middle of his story.

“I start training tomorrow,” Keith said as if it was no big deal. The conversation moved on from there. Keith didn’t really want to talk about it and pushed onto another topic fairly quickly.

Shiro finished up his meal and got another hot cocoa to go so he could try to keep warm on the walk home.

“You know it’s almost the end of February,” Keith said once Shiro was gone.

“Oh yeah,” Matt chimed in. “It’s almost Shiro’s birthday isn’t it.”

“Is it?” Allura asked. “We should do something for him.”

“He’s turning twenty-eight. Since his birthday is on a leap year this is going to be one of the few times he celebrates it on the proper day.” Keith went on, “So every four years he has a party and invites all of his friends.”

“Where are you going with this?” Allura could tell from Keith’s tone that he was trying to get at something.

“So he’s going to invite everyone he knows, including the Galra, probably. I don’t think he wants you guys to become best friends, but he’s gonna want you there, and them there, and for everyone to get along. I think he’s hoping you warm up to the idea of it.”

“The fact he has a Galran boyfriend?” Lance tsked. “Do you think his parents know yet? Cause that’s gotta be a fun conversation.”

“My point is,” Keith cut him off. “Shiro lacks tact with these kinds of situations. Don’t take it to offense.”

Allura groused and mumbled something under her breath in Altean.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen him in a relationship in a long time,” Keith went on. “He’s been off since the crash and he’s finally starting to open up and make new friends. He’s being social again and not just prioritizing work.”

“What are you talking about? He hung out with us just last week.” Allura reasoned.

“And a few months ago we wouldn’t have been able to get him to,” Keith went on. “I think, maybe his new friends have something to do with that and we should try and be supportive.”

“Keith has a point,” Matt said. “He does seem a lot more like himself.”

“I understand why you’re worried,” Keith said. “But let’s just keep an eye on things for now, rather than trying to break them up. If something goes wrong then we intervene, until then there’s not much we can do.”

“Fine,” Allura agreed. “But don’t be surprised when you see the kind of heinous creature Sendak truly is.”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more to come next week.  
> Drop a comment and let me know what you think ^^


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Shiro’s birthday. Can both his groups of friends get along on his special day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its still Wednesday, so I’m technically not late! Anyways I'm still a little sick and having trouble kicking this cold so next chapter might be late, like a week or so late so I can edit properly. If you subscribe you'll get an email when it’s up. But don't see it taking me more than an extra week.
> 
> Until then, enjoy this chapter ;)

Shiro’s birthday party was at his house. It wasn’t as energetic as his last few parties, but the atmosphere was peaceful. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the obvious tension caused by the Galran presence. Shiro was still pretty upbeat. This was going way better than he thought it would.

There had been no fighting, and so far not even any dirty looks: just awkward silences between the two groups. Everyone had made it a point to say happy birthday to him, and Shiro found himself having to flutter through the room so he could get face time in with everyone.

“You know what we need to get this party really going,” Matt smirked. “Something stronger than soda.”

“I can’t drink with my medications,” Shiro said simply.

“You’re still on medication?” Matt was perplexed. “It’s been almost a year since-”

“I still get phantom pain.” Shiro cut him off.

“I thought that goes away after six months to a year?” Pidge adjusted her glasses.

“Are you sure it’s not phantom sensations?” Lance asked. “I heard those can last a lifetime.”

“It’s defiantly pain, and there are some cases with people who have phantom pains for extended periods of time.” Shiro didn’t go into the fact that his doctor had mentioned that there was a small percentage of patients who experience pain all throughout their life. Shiro was worried that he may be apart of that statistic. But he wasn’t going to think about that right now. It was his party, he was supposed to be having fun.

“Happy birthday,” Thace greeted him. Never one to be intimidated he didn’t mind coming up to Shiro when he was with his human friends.

“Thank’s Thace,” Shiro said back. “Thace this is Matt, his sister Pidge. Over by the punch bowl is Lance. That’s Hunk, and this is Princess Allura. Guys this is Thace.”

“It’s nice to finally put your face’s to your names,” Thace said. The others all gave some sort of shy greeting. Allura kept her head high and tried to smile pleasantly.

Shiro watched the exchanges, glad that both sides were putting in an effort to get along.

“Any word from Sendak?” Shiro asked. Which was another thing that was bothering him. Sendak had said he was going to come over but had yet to show. He hadn’t answered Shiro’s text either.

“I haven’t seen him today,” Thace said. “But I’m sure he’s coming. I doubt he would miss this. He’s been very active in trying to find you a proper present.”

“I told him he didn’t have to.” Shiro tried not to let his lip quirk into a smile.

“He has to,” Allura chimed in. “It’s apart of the Galran courting ritual. If he’s seeking to be your partner there is a certain amount of items that he must bring to you to show he can provide for you.”

“No kidding?”

“Did he not explain this to you?” Thace asked.

“Briefly, but he said that stuff like that wasn’t well known within the higher ranks of the Empire, so he never participated in something like this before.” Shiro shrugged.

“That would explain why he’s been bugging Antok.” Thace mused.

“He went to Antok for advice,” Shiro was surprised. Antok was the biggest, most intimidating one in the group. The only one who wasn’t wary of his size was Kolivan.

“He’s one of the few who actually knows what those rituals are.”

“So,” Lance interrupted, “You’re saying that Galra just shower their lovers in gifts? That’s just a thing.”

“When they are perusing someone yes,” Thace clarified.

“Sounds nice,” Lance nodded thoughtfully.

“Happy Birthday, Shiro,” Throk said. He had a box under his arm.

“Thanks,” Shiro beamed, “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss this,” Throk said. “I’ll have to leave early though. The tavern won’t run itself.”

“You own a tavern?” Allura asked.

“Yes, Throk’s Tavern. We opened a few months ago.”

“Really? What a coincidence, me and my uncle just opened up a café,” Allura went on. “The Koi Café.”

“Yes, Shiro has mentioned it multiple times.”

“Throk’s Tavern sounds familiar.” Lance mused trying to figure out where he heard it before. His eyes widen at the realization that they were meeting the owner of the place that Shiro and Sendak had…and this guy was still friends with them? Galra were weird, or oddly forgiving.

“Have you seen-” Shiro started to ask.

“He’s on his way,” Throk knew what he was going to say. “He said something about having to wrangle your gift. Whatever that means.”

“You don’t think he’s bringing another deer do you?” Thace nose wrinkled. “Because last time was a disaster.”

Even Shiro winced at the memory, but since they had a talk about the gifts that were appropriate by human standards. Not that Shiro didn’t appreciate it, but it took him forever to get all the blood out of the carpet. And he rather not have to deal with dead animals. He wasn’t a hunter so that kind of thing unsettled him.

“Anyway,” Throk got back on track. “I brought some of my specialty house drink.” He set the box he brought with him on the counter and pulled out a few six packs. Throk had the drink label designed by an illustrator. It was a Galran skull with his fur markings. It was backlit so the eyes, mouth, and nose cavities had light pouring out of them. It was kind of off-putting when you first see it, but it had quickly become one of Shiro’s favorite drinks. It also came non-alcoholic so he could enjoy it.

Shiro went to reach for one of the bottles and got his hand smacked away.

“Not for you,” Throk said. “I have something else in mind for you.” Throk made quick work of pulling out nip bottles, some sort of alien fruits and a small set of bartender tools. Shiro knew better than to speak and interrupt the process. Besides, he was always a sucker for Throks brand of flair bartending.

Throk always made it look easy when he tossed bottles behind his back and caught them without looking. But Shiro had tried that a few times on his own and found that it is not. It left him with a bit more respect for Throk’s craft.

The others crowded around in order to see Throk work as he poured and twirled, shook and tossed until he finally poured the content in his shaker into a rather large wine glass. This particular drink was a swirl of purples ranging from dark to light.

“The Ultra Violet,” Throk presented it to Shiro. “You only get this today, so don’t ask me to make it again anytime soon.”

“Thank you,” Shiro accepted the glass. So Sendak was right, Throk did like him in some capacity.

“Don’t mention it,” Throk waved it off. “Now, what do you humans do for fun at parties?”

~.~.~.~.~

Everyone was settling in. Shiro’s place was small enough that it forced everyone to interact. He found himself comfortably huddled up on the end of the couch sipping his drink and taking in the conversation. They had started a game of Never-Have-I-Ever, that was staying pretty tame. It had to be since Shiro’s parents, while they weren’t participating in the game, were present.

“You’re not gonna get in on this?” Matt asked. “It’s your party you got to play at least for a little bit.”

“I’ll play next round,” Shiro promised.

“We just finished up,” Shay told him.

“Alright,” He sat up a little straighter. “I’m in. How are we playing.”

“Whoever gets five first loses. Whoever lasts the longest wins,” Thace said.

“Birthday boy gets to start,” Allura declared placing yet another flower crown on Shiro’s head. She must keep these things on hand for special occasions.

“Okay, let’s see,” Shiro mused. “Never have I ever, used a pickup line when flirting.”

“Are you calling me out?” Lance huffed putting down one of his fingers. “Because it feels like your calling me out.”

“There’s no shame in going back to the basics,” Matt declared as he too put down a finger. Surprisingly enough Thace and Haxus also lost a point.

“It’s your turn,” Shiro said to Haxus who was seated at his left.

“Never have I ever spied on anyone,” Haxus declared looking Thace in the eye. Everyone lost a point except for Thace who didn’t seem phased by the question.

“Isn’t there a penalty for lying?” Throk asked.

“I’m not lying,” Thace said.

“We all know,” Haxus said.

“Know what?” Shiro asked.

“That Thace was a double agent,” Throk said. “Everyone knew after he helped the princess escape from that reckless frontal attack.”

“It was not reckless,” Allura interjected.

“You attacked the Central Command system without a plan, that’s pretty reckless: commendably gutsy, but reckless all the same,” Throk said. “And you almost got trapped if someone didn’t lower the solar barrier, Thace. I’m not complaining, but you’ve been denying it forever, and but we all know.”

“You helped us escape?” Allura turned to Thace.

Shiro, who had been worried that he would have to step in, decided to keep quiet. They didn’t seem to be getting hostile.

“Yes,” Thace sighed, “ I dropped the barrier. What does it matter anymore? The war is over.”

“You’re one off those Blade guys right?” Throk asked.

“The Blades of Marmora?” Keith asked. “I heard of them.”

“Everyone has,” Pidge said. “Wasn’t their leader on trial or something like that, for intergalactic crimes?”

“He was found innocent,” Thace said. “There was just skeptics about the operatives he sent undercover in Empire.”

“So you’re some sort of super spy?” Shiro asked.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Thace said. “Again, I’m not sure why it matters.” He cut Haxus a look.

“Because you lie whenever we ask, but we’ve all seen you hanging out with those guys. It’s kind of obvious.”

“I think it’s Matt’s turn now,” Thace said.

“Alright, Never have I ever-” Matt stopped to think. “I want it to be something good, but ya know limitations.” Matt was always the one to ask the most outrageous questions, but Shiro’s parents were still here, even if they were in the kitchen cleaning up, it limited them to what they could ask. Also, his little sister was here so that was another thing holding him back.

“Okay,” Matt decided, “Never have I ever drunk text someone in any capacity.”

Shiro, Lance, Allura, Thace, and Throk lost a point.

“Pidge?” Matt was appalled when his sister also lost a point.

“It’s a long story,” Pidge sighed.

“How are you not losing a point?” Lance asked Keith.

“Because I’ve never done something like that,” Keith said simply.

“What about that time when we were all out at the bar and you were tipsy and we went home and then you suddenly text me saying you would ‘mess me up’ if I ever messed with you again.”

“I wasn’t drunk,” Keith said. “I was the only one sober that night.”

“I…” Lance didn’t have anything to say to that.

“What about you Shiro?” Allura asked. “What could you have possibly sent.”

“Depends on the night,” Shiro shrugged. “It wasn’t like an, "you up" text. Just random babbling. I haven’t done it in years. I’m more concerned about what Thace was sending.”

“Most recently?” Thace didn’t shy away. “Some sort of long-winded, sarcastic apology for throwing a spoon at Sendak.”

“You what?” Shay seemed surprised. She couldn’t imagine anyone who would act in such a way towards Sendak and live.

“I threw a spoon of frosting at him but it got stuck in his fur,” Thace said. “He doesn’t look it, but he’s mostly fluff. It landed on his chest and it took him the better part of an hour to get it out. Or so he claimed. I personally think he was exaggerating.”

Shiro snickered checking his phone when Sendak’s name was mentioned. Sendak was very late and hadn’t sent word of if he was still coming. Shiro wondered if something was wrong, or if Sendak had lost his nerves. But he doubts that. Sendak walked into the Koi Café without a problem. He couldn’t imagine him suddenly being bashful. But it was getting late, maybe he should call him?

“Thace it’s your turn,” Keith said.

“Never, have I ever played never have I ever,” Thace said.

“Really?” Lance looked baffled. “You guys don’t have anything like this?”

“No,” Allura chimed in. “Neither have I. I can’t think of anything similar to it either.”

“There’s truth or punishment,” Shay said.

“But that’s played differently depending on the region,” Haxus said. “Some versions are more brutal than the other. It’s more like an interrogation method really.”

“Hey guys,” Hunk interrupted. “Lance is one away from loosing.”

“Dude!” Lance exclaimed.

“You are.” Hunk defended.

“Takashi,” Shiro’s mom poked her head out of the kitchen. Her smile was a little tense “There’s someone else here. And they brought you something.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Sendak said as he entered the room. “I had to go off planet to get your gift.”

“I’m just glad you made it,” Shiro stood up to greet him. He took the time to properly introduce him to his parents. They didn’t quite know how to react to Shiro’s purple boyfriend, but they also didn’t seem too judgmental, just a little shocked.

“Happy Birthday,” Sendak said to Shiro as he opened his arms to reveal his gift. It looked kind of like a dog, but was the size of a large house cat. It had horns on its head and its body moved and wiggled like a ferret. “I wanted to get you something special.” Sendak passed the furry creature to Shiro.

“I don’t think I can-” Shiro tried to express that he wasn’t sure that he could support its weight. But Sendak seemed to know what he was going to say.

“She’ll cling to you,” Sendak informed him. Sure enough, the creature's paws clung to hold onto Shiro’s shirt.

“She’s so soft,” Shiro marveled as he pets it’s fluffy white fur. “What is she?”

“In your human tongue, it’s pronounced pezmaka. They make good household companions. She’s litter box trained, her diet is pretty flexible, and she’s a very clean creature so grooming won't be much of a problem.”

Shiro was enamored with the little creature, gently stroking it’s fur and grinning when it’s nose twiddled as it sniffed the air before it climbed up his shoulder to sniff at his face. It placed it’s front paw on Shiro’s head as it looked around to survey the area with a better view.

“You’re gonna want to break that habit,” Sendak warned. “She’s going to get a lot bigger.”

“What’s her name?” Shiro asked.

“I’ll leave that up to you,” Sendak said. A soft smile played on his lips as he watched Shiro with his new pet. “I take it you like it then?”

“Yes,” Shiro beamed. “Thank you-”

He was going to say more but Lance jumped in saying, “If we’re already opening gifts then I think we should get cake first.”

“It’s already all set up,” Mrs. Shirogane said. “Come on birthday boy. You got some candles to blow out.” She steered Shiro into the kitchen so they could continue the celebration.

~.~.~.~.~

“And as I walk past there’s this little girl calling out, ‘kitty, Mom look at the kitty!’ I have patience for kids.” Thace went on. “It’s adults who bother me. So then her mom goes, ‘he’s not a kitty; he’s a cat man.’ Then I explain that I’m a galra of Galran descent, and she laughs.”

“Ugh,” Allura’s nose wrinkles. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called an elve, elven, whatever it is.”

“It must have got worse when they found out you were a princess,” Keith mused.

“I don’t even want to talk about it,” Allura frowned. “Most of the human who come by the café are polite but others…”

“Tell me about it,” Throk agreed. “I had a group break-in and graffiti the inside of the tavern my first week of opening. It set me back quite a bit.”

“How can you be sure it was because it was a Galran establishment?” Matt asked.

“Well, they wrote, ‘Go Home Aliens’ on the floor. The message was pretty clear.” Throk stood. “Speaking of the tavern, it’s about time I get there and make sure things are running smoothly.”

“Thanks for stopping by,” Shiro said as Throk left.

“Happy Birthday,” Throk said one last time.

“Assimilation is hard,” Thace summarized as the conversation picked back up.

“Yes,” Allura agreed. “It’s hard for humans to get used us, and therefore it’s hard for us to get used to them.”

Sendak nodded to that but also added, “The food is good though.”

“I have been inspired by the sweets,” Allura admitted. “The fruits here are different from what I’ve had anywhere else.”

And just like that, the conversation was back to being light. Shiro leaned into Sendak with his new pet in his lap. Things were finally relaxed. He knows this isn’t exactly a party. It was more like an intimate get together, but that’s what he wanted from all this.

Even if everyone wasn’t the best of friends, they could still hang out without fighting. And sure, Shiro kept having to interject to stop his parents from telling embracing stories, but he was having a good day.

~.~.~.~.~

“Thanks for sticking around to help clean up,” Shiro said as Sendak stacked the discarded paper plates.

“It is of no consequence to me,” Sendak replied.

“I still appreciate it. Otherwise, my parents would have tried to do all of this themselves.” Shiro looked around his place with a small frown. The mess wasn’t too bad, but he did try to keep this place tidy.

His new pet was scurrying around and getting her baring of the place. Shiro was careful not to step on her whenever she ran under his feet.

“I think she likes it here,” Shiro said. He finally managed to clear off the table in the living room.

“They’re a very adaptable species,” Sendak said as he took out the trash.

“Yeah? Well, she still needs a name.” Shiro set the garbage bag down and picked up the furry creature.

“Have you not thought of one yet?” Sendak asked perplexed.

“Not yet,” Shiro admitted as he scratched under the little bendy creatures chin. “I’ll think of something by tomorrow.”

“I think your dwelling is as clean as we can accomplish for tonight.” Sendak surveyed the area.

“As long as the food is put away and most of the garbage is taken care of, then the rest of it can wait until tomorrow.” Shiro stood up and stretched before turning to Sendak and asking, “Are you staying the night?”

“If I wouldn’t be imposing.”

“Nah, but I don’t think I have any pajamas that will fit you,” Shiro admitted.

“I don’t normally don clothing to sleep, so it is no bother to me.”

“You sleep in the nude?” Shiro grinned at how easily Sendak told him. It was probably another cultural difference. They didn’t seem to have the same beliefs when it comes to the definition of modesty.

“Is that uncommon for your people?” Sendak asked.

“Actually it’s more common than not,” Shiro told him. “Do you mind sharing the bed? I have a full but it still might be a tight squeeze.”

His answer was Sendak deeply purring as he said, “Well then, I’ll just have to hold you close now won’t I?”

“I guess you will.”

~.~.~.~.~

They shared a few bedtime rituals. Sendak was always perplexed by Shiro’s need to shower. Apparently, galra don’t use water to bathe. But they did brush their teeth. The toothbrush looked a little different and the toothpaste smells weird but it was the same concept. And where Shiro didn’t do anything with his hair before bed, Sendak had an extensive brushing ritual that he had to do. But some humans do have to do stuff with their hair at night, so he guessed that also counts as a shared ritual.

Shiro climbed into bed in his briefs and got under the covers. Sendak was already waiting for him. He was greeted by a gentle nuzzle and soft purrs, as Sendak pulled him closer. His hand ran up Shiro’s side, tracing the scars that littered his skin.

“It still amazes me that you’re here beside me today,” Sendak said honestly. Humans were so delicate. He’s not sure how Shiro survived something as deadly as a crash.

Shiro came closer, kissing Sendak on the nose, “You’re so sappy today.” He arched a little closer when Sendak’s hand came to rest on the curve of his back.

“I like doting on you.” Sendak rumbled as he kissed down Shiro’s neck making him moan. “And you deserve to be spoiled, especially on your special day.”

“You plan to spoil me,” Shiro smirked. He rolled so he was on top of Sendak, straddling his waist. “Do tell how you plan to go about this?”

“I think you can use your imagination.” Sendak's hand cupped Shiro’s butt appreciatively.

“Actually,” Shiro gave Sendak a coy smile. “There was something I wanted to try if you would let me. It is my birthday after all.”

“Go ahead.”

Shiro beamed as he moved down Sendak’s body and stopped once he was in between Sendak’s legs. Sendak was already starting to get hard. Shiro took him into his hand and gave it a few strokes. Sendak watched him curiously, waiting to see what he would do. Shiro gave him a little smirk as the tip of his tongue touched to the tip of Sendak’s cock. The galra tensed, trying to keep still but then Shiro started to suck on the head of his cock, and his hips bucked against his will.

“You like it?” Shiro asked. He knew the answer. He could tell from the slackened look on Sendak’s face. Still, he waited for Sendak to respond with a deaf nod before he told him, “Good, cause there’s more where that came from.” He immediately went back to sucking the head. Slowly he started to take more and more in his mouth. He closed his eyes and hollowed his cheeks as he applied more suction. He heard Sendak suppress a growl of a moan and tremble when he started to bob his head.

Sendak couldn’t help himself, his hips jerked a few times as he started to fuck Shiro’s face. Shiro stayed down as long as he could, letting the flat of his tongue run along the underside of Sendak’s cock. He pulled off gasping for air before repeating what he had just done. Sendak tensed again letting out a long groan as Shiro took all of him in one go.

Shiro reveled in having this kind of power over Sendak. With an act so simple he could turn him into putty. He had him huffing mewls and growls every time he went down on him. It was exhilarating. Sendak’s hand found the back of Shiro’s head trying to urge him to go faster.

“You’re full of surprises,” Sendak panted when Shiro sat up to meet him in a kiss.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Shiro whispered against his lips with a smirk.

“But this is your birthday,” Sendak continued to purr as he rolled them over. “I should be the one taking care of you.”

“Such a gentleman,” Shiro chuckled as Sendak rubbed their noses together.

“Now, let’s get you out of those,” Sendak was mindful not to tear the fabric of Shiro’s briefs. “You’re hard just from sucking on me?” Sendak observed in wonder. Shiro could tell he was fascinated by the idea of gaining an erection without direct physical contact. He could see the gears in his head turning. But they could have that biology lesson later.

“Touch me,” Shiro’s voice was just above a whisper as he put a small arch in his back to try and make contact with the body above. Sendak’s ears perked at that. His hands slid down Shiro’s sides and down to his hip. He let his claw lightly graze over Shiro’s skin. He knew Shiro got a thrill when he did that, and it was evident in the way his toes curled and his breath hitched.

Sendak let his metal fingers walk up Shiro’s chest to tweak his nipple. The cold made Shiro shiver in bliss. Sendak retracted his claws and stroked himself until his hand was covered in the natural lubrication his cock secreted. One finger probed at Shiro’s entrance until his legs fell open. With more room available to him, Sendak let his finger slowly circle Shiro’s entrance. He waited until Shiro was relaxed enough to press inside.

Shiro was always warm and tight. It took a while to get him to loosen up enough for a second finger. By that time he was breathless and flushed. Sendak scissored his fingers to make sure he was stretched for a third.

He was always mindful of the size difference between them. He was so much larger than Shiro he’d sometimes worry he would break him. It didn’t help that Shiro’s sounds of pleasure were foreign to him. His moans sometimes sounded like the sounds of discomfort or pain. Sometimes it even sounded as if he was crying or screaming. It made Sendak pull back, worried that he may be hurting him. But Shiro assured him these were good noises.

Shiro let out a bleated moan and pushed his hips up to Sendak’s hand. He looked at Sendak with pink cheeks. His mouth opened in a quiet cry as Sendak started to massage his prostate.

“You like it?” Sendak purred.

“I, Ah,” Shiro turned his head into the pillows and moaned. Sendak was purposely jabbing at Shiro’s sweet spot when he tried to answer.

“Is that a yes?” Sendak grinned down at a reddened Shiro who was struggling to find words as he tenderly caressed his prostate. He tried not to smile too widely when Shiro let out another moan instead of words. If he could he would keep teasing Shiro a little longer, but he didn’t want him cumming too soon.

“Sendak,” Shiro gasped. “Please.” His body shook as Sendak pushed in the third finger. “I Ah, want. I want you.”

Shiro let out a sigh when Sendak pulled out his fingers. His entrance was open, only closing briefly when he clenched. Sendak loomed over him placing his hands on either side of Shiro’s head. He shifted on the bed trying not to show how affected he was by Sendak’s mass. He could never admit it out loud, but he liked when his partner was bigger than him, and Sendak was massive. Just having him over him made his cock twitch.

Sendak was slow in lining himself up with Shiro’s entrance. The wet head gently pushed inside. He got to watch Shiro’s eyes flutter in liking as he kept pressing forwards. Shiro’s body easily opened up to him. He let out a growl when he was fully inside.

Shiro warped his legs around Sendak’s waist. His hand found a hold on the back of Sendak’s neck.

“You’re so soft,” Shiro told him when their bodies met.

“I could say the same about you,” Sendak’s right hand caressed Shiro’s cheek. He closed the distance between them with a kiss. When he pulled out and thrust back in, Shiro moaned into his mouth and dragged him in closer.

“Keep going,” Shiro’s voice trembled. Sendak kept a soft pace. He enjoyed watching the way Shiro rocked against him. His mouth was open as he constantly let out little whimpers of pleasure. He was stretched so wide. Every time they moved the weight and texture of Sendak’s cock dragged inside of him.

They rocked slow and sensationally. Sendak’s slick helped keep Shiro wet and their thrusts smooth. Sendak let out a low growl when his cock slipped back inside to Shiro’s tight ass. His inner walls were snug around him and sucked him in eagerly.

“Takashi,” Sendak snarled. The base of his cock was swelling. The knot was forming a lot sooner than he expected. Shiro was calling out his name. The human had collapsed on the bed, his hand clenching the sheets. He let pleasure wash over him in waves. His body was being consumed by ecstasy.

Then they were locked together. Sendak’s knot suddenly swelled and could no longer pull out. Sendak’s cock throbbed and twitched inside of Shiro and the knot continued to grow.

“Sendak,” Shiro looked up at him with misty eyes. He was so full. The knot was a firm presence inside of him and pressed up against his prostate. His thighs trembled whenever it pulsed against it, and he saw stars. He couldn’t help but roll his hips back against it to get more. It was so good.

Sendak stilled above him. His eye closed and his brow furrowed as he growled and purred. His hands gripped Shiro around the waist to stop his squirming. His cock was too sensitive now. The smallest of motions had him on edge.

Shiro took the hint and settled.

“Give me a minute,” Sendak panted. When the knot lasted this long he had to be still. He could finish Shiro off once the swelling went down, but until then any kind of stimulation felt like too much. Even just being surrounded by Shiro’s tight heat was so good it almost hurt. It didn’t help that Shiro couldn’t control the way his ass fluttered around Sendak as he body yearned to be taken.

Sendak suddenly seized up, flooded by pleasure, and came inside of Shiro. He growled and purred. Long spurts of cum gushed from him and filled Shiro. Hot and sticky, it splashed against Shiro’s prostate making his toes curl. His eyes closed, and his mouth opened in a soft moan.

Sendak’s body jerked through the last of his orgasm. He slowly came back to himself. Shiro was still hard and waiting for him. His stomach now had a slight bulge from how much Sendak had cum inside of him. And if that wasn’t the sexiest thing Sendak had ever seen then he wasn’t sure what was.

Sendak tipped Shiro so his hips were in the air, all the while staying inside of him. His knot finally softens enough for him to move, but he didn’t have much time before he went soft. He would have to make this quick.

“Happy Birthday,” Sendak said one last time before he started fucking Shiro into the mattress. Shiro let out a cry as the new position allowed for Sendak to constantly stimulate his prostate. He was already so close to coming it wouldn’t be much longer until it was over.

Sendak’s name was falling from his lips in a chant as he begged for him not to stop. His eyes kept rolling in the back of his head. Pleasure zipped up his spine delighting his whole body. He couldn’t get enough of Sendak’s fat cock inside of him.  
  
He was gonna cum. Sendak slowed down the pace so his cock dragged out of Shiro’s slick entrance and slammed back in. Each time Shiro’s body was consumed by euphoria. Sendak’s cum was leaking down back and groin from the sheer force of his fucking.

“Ah, Ah, Ah,” his lower lip trembled. His cock throbbed and drooled pre-cum on his stomach. He melted into bed. His legs quivered in the air as he got closer to his limit.

“Ah, ngh, ha, Sendak,” Shiro let out a final cry as his body quaked in rapture. He tried to curl in on himself as he was consumed by his orgasm. Bone deep pleasure blanketed him thrilling all his nerves until he was sated.

He collapsed onto the bed, chest heaving. He let out a soft moan as Sendak pulled out. They lay next to each other catching their breath. Shiro’s eyes were already starting to get heavy.

Once he was no longer a noodle, Shiro rolled into Sendak embrace. A fur covered hand rest on his hips and pulled him closer. Sendak nuzzled him sleepily, pulling a small laugh from Shiro.

“That tickles,” Shiro tried not to giggle.

“My apologies,” Sendak yawned and settled in. He pulled the blankets up around them despite the mess they had made. Shiro didn’t protest, even though he was sticky and covered in cum, and the sheets were thoroughly soiled. He was content to be in the arms of someone who loved him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! 
> 
>    
> I hope you guys have been enjoying this story as much as I have. By the way, I did some sketches a while back, and this is what the [Koi Cafe](https://ryan-draws-fanart.tumblr.com/post/178466829392) and [Throk's Tavern](https://ryan-draws-fanart.tumblr.com/post/176482450952) look like if you were wondering. 
> 
> Drop me a comment if you liked this chapter! I love hearing from you guys ^^


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New detail come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this took me longer than I said. I’ve just been so sick, but editing is done and I split the last chapter into two since it was a bit long.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy ^^

He still remembers the way the ship shook, and the way he desperately tried to keep it steady. Matt and Sam were frantically saying something to him. Iverson was also yelling over their communication channel. It didn’t matter. Nothing he did could save them.

Matt and Sam managed to eject from the ship. And Shiro, Shiro felt panic when he couldn’t get his seat to do the same. The ground was rushing at him, and he knew he was going to die.

These thoughts left him in a fit full sleep. He always had falling dreams. He would be tipped off of something or the ground would crumble from beneath his feet. Either way, he always woke up screaming.

“Come here,” Sendak pulled Shiro close to him when he shook. “I got you.”

Shiro tried to get his breathing under control. Sendak rubbed his back whispering soothing words and purred softly. Zara, the decided name of his pezmaka, jumped on the bed and curled up with them. Shiro ran his hand through Zara’s fur and tried to go back to sleep.

~.~.~.~.~

“Apologies for falling asleep on you,” Sendak said in the morning. He tried to stay up with Shiro after he woke up from his nightmare, but he ended up dozing off.

“I appreciate the effort,” Shiro yawned.

“Are you feeling better?” Sendak asked.

“It’s nothing I’m not used to,” Shiro shrugged. “I got frozen waffles if you’re interested.”

“While I am thankful for your offer of breakfast, I am still concerned for you.” Sendak went on. “I know what it’s like to relive the horrible moments in our life, but pretending like it didn’t happen won’t make it better.”

“I’m just not ready to talk about it right now,” Shiro said, scratching Zara under the chin after she scurried up to his shoulder. “It’s…”

He was going to say more but was cut off by his phone ringing.

“It’s the Garrison?” Shiro frowned. He picked up and found it was the Admiral on the phone. He looked trouble throughout the call and when he finally hung up he looked to Sendak and informed him, “They want me to come in. Something important they found out, but they don’t want to discuss it over the phone.”

“What’s so important they need you on a Sunday?”

“They didn’t say,” Shiro sighed. “I gotta get dressed.”

“Would you like a ride?” Sendak asked to Shiro’s back as he disappeared into his room.

“Are you sure? I’m not sure how long this is going to be.”

“I don’t mind waiting for a bit. I have some paperwork to get done anyways. It would give me an early start.”

~.~.~.~.~

“Commander Shirogane, Thank you for coming in on such short notice,” Admiral Sanda said.

“I came as soon as I could, sir,” Shiro stood at attention.

“At ease Commander,” She let him relax. “Take a seat we have a lot to discuss.”

“Okay,” Shiro did as he was told, taking note of the other high standing officials who were also at this meeting. “Am I able to ask what this is pertaining to?”

“It’s about the incident a few months ago. You and Sendak were filmed in a compromising position.”

“I remember,” Shiro blanched. Were they firing him after all?

“We looked into it and we found the person who filmed and hacked the page.”

“Oh,” Shiro felt his heart skip a beat.  
  
“The video shows they were following you before you and Sendak...engaged each other.”

“I have a stalker?” Now, Shiro was worried.

“That may be so,” Sanda sighed. “Our investigation found that he was targeting the Garrison, and you being our top pilot made you a prime target.”

“I was just a proxy for the Garrison?”

“It appears so. He had no way of knowing what you and Sendak would do that night. We think he may have been following you to see your daily routine. We’re not sure what he was planning next.”

“Why even bother with the Garrison?” None of this was making sense. He could tell they were talking around the problem.

“Our investigation found he was one of many who were against us hiring intergalactic personnel. They were looking to sabotage our reputation, and show why we shouldn’t have people from other planets working alongside us.” Sanda took a deep breath. “And this wasn’t his first attack on us.”

“What was the first one?”

“Kerberos,” Iverson said gently. Shiro blinked not quite understanding what was being said to him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Shiro asked for confirmation.

“He sabotaged your flight. All of those malfunctions were caused by him.” Sanda said.

It felt like the world fell from under him. Why would someone try to kill him over working with… wait! Kerberos was before the Galra came to Earth. So why?

“We’re still collecting details,” Sanda said. “But we’ll keep you in the loop as things develop. However, the Garrison would like to offer you compensation for your grievances.” She places a file of forms in front of him. “All you have to do is sign.”

“Thank you,” Shiro sighed and accepted the paper. “But this person? They were human, correct?”

“Yes,” Sanda said. It was a little itonic because everyone assumed it was some sort of cyber galra attack. Turns out it was one of their own.

Sanda then cleared her throat and reminded him. “If you sign those we’ll have you all taken care of by the end of the month.”

“I’ll have them done bright and early tomorrow,” Shiro told her.

“You’re dismissed,” She let him go.  
  
Shiro found Sendak had waited in the hall for him.

“What happened to paperwork?” Shiro asked.

“I wanted to be here when you got out. Wouldn’t want to mess up a chance to see you in uniform.”

Shiro gave a small laugh despite the situation.

“What did they want?” Sendak asked.

“They found who posted the video, and some other stuff. I’ll explain it later.” Shiro was still trying to process everything.

“Your café should be open by now. Would you like to stop there and get real food?”

“I ate before I left.”

“You had one frozen waffle. That’s not sufficient enough to qualify as a meal.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to grab something else,” Shiro shrugged. Which was how he ended up at the Koi Café and bumped into his usual group of friends. They invited him to sit despite Sendak being with him.

“You’re taking the money right?” Lance asked after Shiro explained the events of the morning.

“I know I am,” Matt boasted.

“They’re compensations you too?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah. Me and Dad.” Matt went on. “We already signed. We’re just waiting for it to process and then ka-ching!”

Shiro frowned. Something about all this felt off. He’d been reading through the forms as he worked through his breakfast, but he was still a little exhausted from his restless sleep.

Sendak was reading along over his shoulder. At some point, Shiro decided to focus on his food rather than flipping pages, but Sendak kept reading. A low growl rumbled in his throat catching Shiro’s attention.

“What’s up?” Shiro asked.

“The way they worded this,” Sendak started to explain. “You’re not being compensated as they say. It seems more like they are paying for your silence. You see here,” he pointed to one of the clauses, “By signing you would be agreeing not to sue for future grievances or complications from earlier incidents.”

“That’s odd,” Shiro agreed.

“It doesn’t say it directly,” Sendak went on, “But it sounds like the Garrison knows they’re at fault and are trying g to tie up loose ends.”

“Let me see,” Matt grabbed the forms. “Holy shit, they’re offering you how much! That’s way more than what they’re offering me.”

“That’s probably because I sustained the most injuries.” Shiro reasoned.

“I think Sendak may have a point,” Matt went on. “This is more like a liability waiver. They don’t admit fault for anything, but this says you won’t be able to press charges about misconduct…”

“I thought this all seemed a little off,” Shiro lamented. He just wasn’t sure where to go from here.

“I think you need a lawyer,” Sendak said. “If they’re paying you off…”

“But I don’t even know what they’re covering up. And even if I could find someone to take on the case, the Garrison is a military organization. They would give us the run around for years.”

“Not by intergalactic law,” Sendak went on. Allura, who had come back around to refill drinks and heard the conversation actually agreed with Sendak.

“By giving you this to sign they’ve admitted to fault and that they are guilty of something,” Allura explained. “Especially since they’re a form of government and their action led to severe consequences. If you demand answers they’ll have to confess to their crimes.”

“That’s not how our government works,” Shiro informed them.

“Actually,” Sendak went on. “Since your planet joined in with the Intergalactic Alliance there are rules they must adhere to. This falls into that category. Someone from a different planet with no allegiance to this one will spearhead the investigation. This way we avoid government cover-ups and corrupt nations.”

“I don’t even know how I would start the process,” Shiro explained.

“I know a few officials who would lend you their time,” Allura said. “I’ll give you their number.”

Shiro let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel right now, but his stomach was knotted up. He wanted to know what was happening, but he also felt like he didn’t.

~.~.~.~.~

It took a few days for the investigation to get going, but he was promised quick results. The more they looked into everything, the worse it got. He wasn’t sure what to do with all this new information.

He ended up at Throk’s Tavern, sulking. It was just starting to get late and the place was becoming packed. He’d been hoping the upbeat atmosphere and being surrounded by friends would cheer him up. Instead, he was stuck in his own head, constantly re-reading over the newest update his lawyer had emailed him.

Keith text to ask him how he was doing, and Shiro let him know where he was. Despite the knowledge of what previously happened, Keith asked if he wanted company. And the next thing Shiro knew his friend were, very cautiously, entering the tavern.

“This place is actually pretty cool,” Lance admitted as they joined Shiro in the lounge area.

Keith wasn’t too put off by everything. He was more curious about their surroundings. Matt was also with them, and Pidge trailed behind him with Hunk. Even Allura showed up, though she was sticking very close to Keith, just in case.

“I told ya,” Shiro said.

“No Sendak?” Allura asked.

“He’s working late,” Shiro told her. “But he’ll be here soon. You guys remember Thace and Haxus.” He gestured to the two Galra next to him.

Both groups greeted each other.

“Any news yet?” Keith asked.

“I’ll explain it when Sendak gets here so I don’t have to repeat myself,” Shiro said.

“That’s not a good sign,” Matt frowned. “Why do I feel like I shouldn’t have jumped the gun with signing those forms.”

“You shouldn’t of,” Shiro sighed. “But I think there are ways to work around it.” There was an awkward silence before he added, “You should order something while you’re here. I’ll cover you.”

“You don’t have to,” Allura said.

“It’s my treat.” Shiro insisted.

One of the waiters came around and took their orders. It wasn’t long until they were splitting appetizers and trying out the different drinks. Thace recommended one of the shot specials so they could get a taste of everything without getting wasted.

“It’s really good,” Hunk said. “I’m not sure what this is, but I love it.”

“It is an interesting flavor,” Allura agreed.

“Right? Throk finally got a chef in here,” Shiro said. “I’ve been working my way through the menu.”

“Sounds like you,” Matt chuckled.

Keith nodded but was steadily stuffing his face. They started to divulge how their weeks had gone. Each story wasn’t without its humor. Hunk was retelling how Lance tried to help him in the kitchen and accidentally added too much milk to the cake they were making, and it overflowed in the oven.

“So the kitchen is covered in smoke and he turns to me all serious, half burnt, half raw cake in his hand and says, ‘My child is perfect’”

They all laughed.

“He was perfect. Don’t judge him.” Lance nodded to himself.

It was funny but Shiro just wasn’t able to get into it. He kept thinking back to what he’d learned today.

“You started without me?” Sendak was lumbering towards them. He took in Shiro’s appearance and his slightly pinched smile and just knew, “That’s never a good look. What happened?”

“I was just gonna get into that.” Shiro waved it off. “Sit down I ordered those cheese things you like.”

Sendak’s ears went up in interest. He brushed his nose to Shiro’s before giving him a kiss and sitting beside him.

“Alright, so spill,” Matt was eager to find out what happened. “What did they find?”

“A lot of stuff,” Shiro sighed. “I’m not sure where to start. The conspiracy goes a lot deeper than we thought. The guy they caught is only a small part of an organization that’s been trying to stop space exploration. Something about angering the interstellar life forms that be. They’re more like a cult, but they’ve infiltrated the Garrison sometime ago. They’ve caused a few other mishaps but none as big as messing up the Kerberos landing.”

“But you were talking about suing last time we talked,” Matt said. “Just cause a few creepy people got past the test to get in doesn’t mean the Garrison is at fault.”

“There’s more,” Shiro took a sip of his drink before he continued. “The inspection that’s protocol before any launch never happened. They were running behind because of a few things, and instead of pushing the flight back a few hours they skipped inspection since all the previous diagnostics had been up to code. Its happened before and things were fine, but this time the ship had been tampered with.”

“All this cause some crazy guys were scared of space travel?” Hunk sat back looking perplexed.  
  
“What else was there?” Keith asked.

“It gets worse,” Shiro said. “When crashing didn’t work they were working on smearing the names of the people who worked there. I just ended up being an easy target, but they had stuff on some of the other commanders and the Admiral that they planned to make public. They would have figured it out earlier if they ran a real investigation into the crash. The ship was new so everyone wrote it off as engineering problems that may have been overlooked, not sabotage. No one starter to look closer until the hack, then they found one of the guys and his manifesto, and everything fell in place from there.”

“So, you’re defiantly suing then?” Pidge asked.

“Yes. There were so many things that led up to this that they just turned a blind eye to, and the moment they realized they’re at fault they try to quietly pay me and sign away my right without informing me.”

“But they were offering a rather large lump sum,” Lance said.

“It’s not about the money,” Shiro blurted out. “I gave so much to that place and they tossed me aside without thought. It’s not even like I did anything wrong, but I still lost everything.” His eyes fell to his single hand. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I can’t just let them get away with it. They act like it doesn’t matter, like I didn’t matter…”

“They were just covering their asses,” Matt said. “I doubt it was a personal grudge or anything. The Admiral thinks you’re the best thing that ever happened to the place.”

“That’s not the point,” Shiro went on. “Doesn’t it bother you that we almost died and they didn’t care enough to look into it properly And when they did figure it out they were just going to throw money at the problem and pretend it never happened.”

“A little,” Matt admitted. “But at least they’re doing something about it now.”

“But it’s not-” Shiro was grasping for words. “It’s been so long that they ignored this and the crash, it’s not…things aren’t over for me. It’s affected every aspect of my life. I didn’t get paid while I was comatose or during recovery. My funds dwindled, I fell behind on my bills, it ruined my credit score and I had to move in with my parents before I managed to get into the engineering department. I can’t-I can’t tie my shoes by myself. It’s hard to function from day to day because of difficulties with simple tasks.” He wanted to stop there but things were starting to flow out of him.

“And I’m in constant pain. The doctors think it chronic and that I’ll have it the rest of my life. Not just phantom pains, but pain from the other injuries where I have permanent nerve damage. I’ve been having to talk to my doctors about long-term strategies for pain management.” His breath caught in this throat. Sendak gently took Shiro’s hand in his. The comfort gave him the strength to say, “I don’t just want to be compensated. I want them to take responsibility. I want them to have to look at me and admit that they messed up, and apologize for what happened.”

There was a very pregnant pause before anyone spoke.

“Why didn’t you tell us that things have been this bad?” Keith asked. His voice was soft like comforting a child.

“I don’t know,” He didn’t like asking for help. But he tried to be so strong for so long. If he didn’t start to open up, he knew the weight of everything was going to crush him.

“You should have said something,” Matt frowned. “If you need anyth…”

“There’s not much to be done,” Shiro said. “Everything is either psychological or a nerve problem at this point.”

“Still,” Matt insisted. “We could have helped. We still can. Just say the word.”

“Thanks,” Shiro gave them a small smile.

“So now what?” Haxus cut in.

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked.

“You still need a place to work right?” Haxus said. “I mean once you serve them papers you can’t work there anymore.”

“I was thinking about that,” Shiro admitted. “At first I was gonna let them fire me so I could get my severance pay since I spent most of my savings during my recovery. But I don’t want them to say they let me go, ya know. I want to walk out on my own terms.”

“So what are you doing about work?” Thace asked.

“I don’t know yet. I’ve been looking into stuff, but no one wants a whistleblower working for them.” Shiro lamented. Maybe he jumped the gun on this. He should have waited until he had a job lined up to press forwards.

“You should work for us,” Haxus smirked.

“Who’s us? And when did you leave the Garrison?”

“They weren’t as open-minded about working with us as they liked to pretend so I left about a few weeks ago,” Haxus said. “It’s no big deal, but I did find this one company. They’re new but they’re already working their way to the forefront of exploration.”

“Really?” Shiro sat up a little straighter.

“They have a very diverse workforce and would love to have you onboard. They’ve heard of your piloting skills and would like to see what you can do,” Haxus went on as he passed Shiro a business card. “And you’ll get to meet some of the most brilliant people in the universe. I’m sure you and Slav could come up with something ingenious.”

“Who’s Slav?” Shiro asked as he looked over the card.

“One of the most brilliant minds of our time,” Thace told him. “He was the creator of many of the devices used on the rebel side of the war. His work was revolutionary.”

“I’ll look into it. Thank you,” Shiro said. It gave him a little bit of hope for the future.

“We’re all gonna be looking for jobs if you’re gonna take the Garrison for everything their worth,” Lance mused.

“I’m only asking for a small fraction of what they owe me,” Shiro said. “It’s not going to cut into the annual budget that much.”

“It’s not gonna be the same without you,” Keith said. He’d been looking forward to the day he and Shiro could go on flights together.

“You’ll be fine,” Shiro said.

“Or you could work for us,” Haxus gave Keith a sly grin. “The more the merrier, right?”

“I see you’re not trying to poach all of us,” Lance frowned.

“You’re welcome to apply,” Haxus said.

“And your guys in charge don’t care about ya know…” Lance made a vague gesture. “Shiro going viral?”

“He’s the one who always talks about it?” Sendak asked facing Shiro but pointing at Lance.

Lance paled and defended himself saying, “It’s not just me who brings it up you know.”

Sendak leaned over to Shiro smirking as he asked him, “Are they asking for a show? Because if they are…”

Shiro snorted in shocked laughter: his drink spewed from his nose. He knew that Sendak was joking but the look on their faces was priceless. He had to put his drink down and reach for napkins as he tried to suppress a giggle fit.

Sendak chuckled as well, all too proud of himself.

“Stop it,” Shiro said. “Don’t scare them like that.”

“I’m just saying. If they keep bringing it up, there must be some voyeurism like tendencies that…”

“It’s not like that!” Lance defended. His face was red!

“Stop messing with him,” Shiro lightly whacked at Sendak’s chest.

It lightened the tension in the room a little. Lance’s freak-outs were always a little over the top and comical. Even Keith couldn’t help but snicker at Lance’s antics.

“Princess?” A voice called in question from behind them. They turned to see a multi-colored Galra. He had short spikes on his head and red stripes. He wasn’t as purple as most of the Galra here but rather his purple tone leaned closer to pale shades of blue. A ponytail sprouted from the back of his head and the braid wrapped around his neck like a necklace.

“I’m sorry I don’t think we met,” Allura said politely

“We have, just not formally,” the Galra said. “I am Kolivan. I was one of the rebellion leaders in the collation.”

“I’m not sure I remember which one.”

“At the time we never told you our name, but with the lack of tension I can now tell you that we’re the Blades of Marmora.” While Allura had heard of them, she still couldn’t place him until he added. “The guys with the glowing mask.”

“Oh,” that lit up a lightbulb. “I didn’t know you came to Earth.”

“My mate and I just moved here. I saw you and thought it would be rude not to say anything. It’s good to see you alive and well.”

“You as well,” She nodded. Kolivan gave a wave to the group and a nod to Thace before he left back to Antok’s side.

So that was Kolivan? Shiro had heard of him but never actually saw him. He knew he was the leader of the Blades, and Antok’s mate, but that was all. Still, he smiled when he saw Antok wrap his tail around Koilvan’s waist, pull him towards him, and rubbed their noses together.

It was nice to see the survivors of the war settling in. Allura had her café, Throk had his tavern, people like Haxus and Sendak were finding a place for themselves. He even heard that Shay was taking classes including an intergalactic abroad trip.

Everyone else had managed to move on, maybe he should try and do the same.

 TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! Woot


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to look up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last part. It’s more like an epilogue.  
> Enjoy!

“Are you going to need help with all those boxes Commander?” Iverson asked as he watched Shiro pack up the rest of his belongings in his lab.

“No. Sendak is swinging by to help me carry stuff out.”

“I see,” Iverson nodded. A silence lingered between the two of them before he spoke again, “I’m sorry about everything that happened. I had no idea that…”

“You didn’t know,” Shiro said. “I’m not mad at you.” Iverson was mostly in charge of training the cadets. He had a very small role when it came to launches. He only really got involved with Shiro’s because he was one of his top students and had mentored Shiro during the beginning of his career.

“If you need anything, you have my number,” Iverson reminded him.

“I’ll be alright,” Shiro assured him. “I already have another job lined up.”

“As a pilot?”

“Engineer. They told me that they have ships I could fly, but I’m more focused on the construction element of flight. One day I might be ready to get back out there, but I’m not there just yet.” Shiro had been making an effort about being more open with the people around him.

Iverson nodded with understanding.  
  
“I knew you would get scooped up the moment you left this place,” Iverson sighed. “A lot of our new hires quit and went elsewhere as well. Even some of our senior members are leaving.”

“What about you?” Shiro asked.

“I’m gonna stick around. Nothing will change if someone doesn’t do something, and I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Good luck,” Shiro said sincerely. He knew it was going to be chaos around here for a while. Protocol would have to be restructured to check and balance the chain of command. There’s was no telling how long that would take, and he doubt compromise would happen easily.

“I’m sorry about how things happened,” Iverson said. “I rather you were leaving under better circumstance.”

“Yeah, me too.” Shiro agreed. “But, I think things are gonna work out. I’m actually excited for the future, and I haven’t been able to say that in a while.”

“Then I take it you and Sendak are doing well?” Iverson asked. He still wasn’t Sendak’s biggest fan since be saw the video, but he supported Shiro’s decision and tried not to speak poorly of him.

“We’re good,” Shiro said. “He’s been really supportive through all this.”

“So it serious then?”

“Yeah, everyone thought it was just a fling but we’re still going strong.” Shiro smiled. “He’s a nice guy. I think the people around me are starting to see that.”

“As long as you’re happy.”

“I am,” Shiro was able to say truthfully. “I have a few weeks before work starts. Not sure what I’m gonna do during that time, but I might as well make the most of it.”

“Well, good luck,” Iverson clasped his shoulder. Shiro rolled his eyes and just hugged him.

“Thanks,” Shiro smiled.

“Are you ready?” Sendak asked as he walked in, and paused when he saw the situation.

“Yeah, I just packed up the last box.”

“I’ll let you go,” Iverson gave him one last squeeze on the shoulder. “If I’m gone too long then the cadets treat lunch hour as a free for all. Good luck with everything.”

“Thanks again,” Shiro waved as he left.

“I brought a hover cart,” Sendak told him as he unfolds the contraption he brought with him. “I figured it would be easier.”

“Hover cart?”

“It’s a cart that will follow you and can carry up to twenty of your metric tons.”

“Sounds like someone was determined to make this one trip,” Shiro observed as the cart came to life and floated so it was in reach.

“Why waste time?” Sendak asked. “We can grab dinner after this, maybe catch a movie.”

“You asking me on a date?” Shiro quirked an eyebrow playfully.

“If you would do me the honor,” Sendak brushed their noses together.

It didn’t take them long to pack everything up and load it into the car. They managed to get it into his apartment. He stacked the boxes up in the corner and decided they could stay there until he was ready to sort through them.

Zara was zipping around, checking out the new stuff. She popped in and out of boxes, chattering and sniffing. She eventually found the highest one points and claimed it as her perch.  
  
Shiro was still sad to have to leave a place he’d called home for so long. Since his last year of middle school, he lived at the Garrison, worked at the Garrison. His whole life had been the Garrison. It was hard to believe that this part of his life was over. But he was starting a new chapter, so that was something to celebrate. Right?

And he got to watch Sendak lifting all that stuff most of the afternoon. He would be lying if he said it wasn’t hot watching him lift three or four boxes over his shoulder without breaking a sweat. At some point, Shiro was sure Sendak was just showing off, but he wasn’t complaining. He’d been half-hard in pants since they started loading things out of the car.

“You still want to go out?” Shiro asked. Sendak was lounging on the couch after they finished. He had done most of the lifting so Shiro guessed he must be tired.

“Is that your way of asking to stay in?” Sendak looked up at him from his spot on the couch.

“I was just asking. You look pretty comfortable down there.”

“There’s no need to be coy Takashi,” Sendak smirked. “You are aware that I can smell your arousal, yes?”

“Is that your way of saying I stink?”

“No, quite the opposite. I find your scent enticing. My sense of smell is just a little better than yours.” Sendak sat up, leaning on the arm of the couch so they could be eye to eye. “What I’m saying is that I knew you wanted me from the moment I started helping you pack. But it’s up to you. Would you like to go out, or do you want to stay in and let me fuck you?”

Shiro stood still, letting Sendak’s words weigh on him. He shivered despite himself. Sendak had this way of talking that only served to fuel the fire that was already smoldering within him.  
  
“Or we could go out and still have a good time,” Sendak leered. “You don’t seem put off by the idea of us…enjoying ourselves in public.”

“We could get in actual trouble for that,” Shiro had to remind him. “Remember, here it’s illegal.”

“Not in a Galran establishment.” Sendak purred. Shiro actually found himself considering it, but shook his head.

“I don’t want to take that chance,” Shiro said.

Sendak tipped his head to the side as if in thought before he spoke, “Do you not need a large audience? Does it makes you hot to know that just one person is watching you, looking at you, appreciating your body.”

“I don’t know,” Shiro admitted. “Before then I never…”

“Take off your clothes,” Sendak ordered.

“Excuse me?” Shiro blinked.

“Strip,” Sendak purred. “For me.”  
  
Shiro’s heart was hammering as he slowly started to take off his shirt. There was a brief struggle to get it over his head before he could get it off his arm.

Sendak made himself comfortable as he watched him, not shy about how he was enjoying the show. His eyes roved over his body as clothing started to drop. He was memorized when Shiro started to slip his pants from his waist. He kicked them off, now standing before Sendak in just his brief.

“Stars and planets,” Sendak chuckled when he got a good look at him. He had his cock in his hands, working himself over as he took it all in.

“I don’t think you noticed but I have a theme going,” Shiro quirked an eyebrow.

“Turn around let me see everything.” Sendak chucked. Shiro did what was asked of him, just to hear Sendak snort, “Is that a nebula on your ass?”

“And my sac,” Shiro bent over to give Sendak a better look.

“Take them off. Let me see.”

“Slowly right,” Shiro straightened up and looked over his shoulder. “You want a show?”

“I think you want to put one on more than you want to admit,” Sendak replied coolly, but his sights were on Shiro’s fingers as they played with the elastic band of his boxers.

“So you don’t want to see?” Shiro shifted his weight, making his ass sway.

“You know I do.”

Shiro started to peel the material from his skin, revealing the last of himself to his lover. He leaned forward again and took a handful of his ass and gave it a shake. He heard Sendak groan behind him when he pulled it aside to show his waiting pucker clench.

“You like?” Shiro asked. The only reply he got was Sendak’s deep purr.

“Turn around,” Sendak was steadily stroking himself. Shiro took his time rotating to face Sendak. He was already flushed, but his cheeks still darkened when Sendak could see how his erection stood between his legs. He hadn’t even touched himself and he was already hard and oozing pre-cum.

“You haven’t even laid a finger on yourself, but you’re like this already,” Sendak stroked himself a few more time as he looked Shiro up and down in fascination.

“You’re just as far gone,” Shiro reminded him.

“I think we can both agree that this is different,” Sendak smirked. “Now, what to do with you?” Shiro shivered when Sendak stood and approached him. He wasted no time lifting Shiro up over his shoulder, making Shiro yelp in surprise. He took him to the bedroom. Sendak laid him out on the bed before he sat down, putting space between them so he could shed the last of his clothes.

Shiro leaned back on the pillows waiting to see what Sendak would do next. He bent his knees and spread his legs, trying to see if he could encourage Sendak to hurry up. Instead, Sendak seemed to have other ideas.

“Touch yourself,” Sendak hummed. He smiled when Shiro was taken aback. “I want to see how you get off.”

Shiro took in a breath, eyes locked on Sendak’s as he let his hand skim down his torso, teasing himself by rubbing his hand over the top of his cock. He avoided the tip as he rocked against his palm, finally wrapping his hand around himself. He gave a few quick paced strokes before he stopped to tweak and pull one of his nipples.

Still looking at Sendak he sucked on the tips of his fingers before playing with the other appendage. He let out a soft sigh before he turned his attention back to his cock. One finger circled his drooling tip, spreading the pre-cum around. He gasped when he rubbed his sensitive slit.

Sendak watched him curiously, stroking himself in a firmer grip. Retracting his claws, Sendak reached out started to mimic Shiro’s earlier movements on his dripping head. Shiro gasped softly slumping into the pillows as he did so.

“Are you gonna fuck me?” Shiro panted. He was hot under Sendak’s gaze.

“You should prepare yourself if you really want it,” Sendak hummed.

“But your so big,” Shiro moaned giving his cock a squeeze as he pulled at its length. “My fingers wouldn’t be enough.”

“Wouldn’t be enough to stretch you, or wouldn’t be enough to satisfy you?”

It was a mix of both. Sendak was much bigger than a human and Shiro’s fingers wouldn’t be nearly enough to get him ready. But Shiro also found it hard to get off the way he used to after Sendak fucked him. Even with a rather sizable dildo, he couldn’t do himself the same way Sendak had, and it left him more than a little unsatisfied after masturbating. But he couldn’t say that.

“I want you,” Shiro kept his voice hush making Sendak’s ears swivel forward in order to hear him repeat, “I want you so bad. I need you in me, splitting me open on your cock till you fill me up.”

That got the desired reaction, Sendak turned Shiro onto his stomach and dragged him back by his thighs until he had him in his lap. He wasted no time spreading Shiro’s ass apart and letting his tongue circle his entrance. He took his time playing with Shiro’s pucker. He lapped over it and sucked it until Shiro writhed in pleasure.

He let out a desperate moan when Sendak’s tongue finally penetrated him. It plunged in and out of him spreading him open and making him wet. His upper body slumped into the bedding and he gripped the sheets tightly.

“Your opening up for me so easily,” Sendak boasted as he put two fingers in and spread them. “How long have you been waiting for me Takashi? How long have you been craving my cock?”

“Too long,” Shiro found himself saying when Sendak got a third finger in and started stroking his prostate. All he could do was moan. His body was tiring from the strain of having his lower half suspended in air.

“Are you ready?” Sendak lowered Shiro until he was lined up with his cock. Shiro responded by rocking against him until Sendak sank Shiro down on him in one go.

“Ah!” Shiro’s body jolted with pleasure from the sudden intrusion. He was clenching around Sendak unable to get used to his girth. With jelly limbs, he tried to sit up but Sendak pushed him back down.

“Just relax,” Sendak was purring. “I’ll take care of everything.” Sendak gave Shiro’s ass a slap as he started rocking his hips. He licked his lips when as he got a good look at how Shiro was stretched around him. It wasn’t hard to turn Shiro into a moaning mess. He was chanting Sendak’s name and begging for more.

Sendak obliged him by taking Shiro’s hip in one of his hands, lifting him as he pulled out, and lowering him when he thrust back in. Shiro keened with need as Sendak kept a torturously slow pace. He knew what to do to keep Shiro right on the edge, to have him crying out and rock against him.

“Sendak,” Shiro’s voice was muffled by the sheets that he had pulled from their corners during their frenzy and had them bunched under him. He let out another moan and begged, “Faster.”

“If you don’t like how I do it,” Sendak let him go, “Do it yourself. I want to see you ride me.”

Shiro let out the most desperate sounding moan Sendak had heard to date. All the same, Shiro braced himself against the bed and tried to do it. He could barely move off the bed but managed to use his toes for leverage as he lifted himself up and lower himself back down. He repeated the motion, picking up speed each time until he was fucking himself on Sendak’s cock. He gasped and moaned with each thrust. His legs were starting to shake as he struggled to support himself.

Sendak sat back and watched a while longer. How could he not enjoy watching that ass bounce on his cock? And those little sounds of pleasure that came from his lover's lips, delicious. He let himself relish in the moment a little longer, Shiro’s ass fitting to him perfectly, before he gave the poor human a hand.

He grasped Shiro by his hips, his fingers getting a good grip on his ass and helped him along. Shiro let out a sigh of relief.

“Come on,” He urged. “I wanna cum, make me cum.”

Which Sendak took as a challenge. He pulled out, ignoring Shiro’s protest as he smothered him with his weight and re-entered him in one go, cutting his complaints short. Shiro’s mouth opened in a silent cry, lip trembling when Sendak hit his prostate. His eyes rolled back as Sendak started a breakneck pace.

Shiro didn't have it in him to try and find the rhythm. All he could do was lay there and take it. Each thrust driving him closer and closer to that euphoric finish. He trembled in Sendak’s arms just on the cusp of overstimulation.

But it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t sure what was missing. His ass was wet and quivering. Sendak kept him spread open with his quick, slick movements. He was so full an yet…

“Knot me,” Shiro begged. That’s what was missing. He hadn’t felt Sendak’s knot in so long, and he was craving it. Just the thought made him clench tighter. Sendak was growling above him. Snarling every time he rammed Shiro’s prostate.

“Come on,” Shiro was seeing stars. “I ah want you, ah, to split me open on your ngh knot. Fill me up. Ah, ah, ah,!Sendak.” His eyes rolled in the back of his head when the base of Sendak’s cock started to swell. And it wasn’t long until Shiro could feel how Sendak needed to press in harder to get the knot to fit.

“Knot me. Ngh, need it. I need your knot,” Shiro rambled pushing his hips up in a feeble attempt to get more. “Sendak, ah, ah, please.” He grabbed at the fur on Sendak’s neck pulling him closer. His body was a light with pleasure when Sendak finally tied with him.

His whole body trembled. Or was that Sendak? He couldn’t be sure. Sendak buried his face in Shiro’s neck and grasped his chest with one large hand. He made a noise that Shiro had never heard before, kind of high pitched like a mewl, as he started short quick thrusts. Shiro let out a wail and his body matched Sendak’s movement in a fit of titillation.

He was so close. Sendak rocked him against the mattress. Both of them chasing their orgasm, right on the pinnacle of rapture. Sendak let out a groan that got stuck in his throat right when he came. Cum flooded Shiro who could do nothing but whimper in pleasure. Then, suddenly Sendak’s mouth latched onto Shiro’s neck, purring deeper than he had before.

”Oh, aah,” Shiro gasped in surprise. The sensation of the teeth on his flesh making his toes curl. Sendak kept moving as he came filling Shiro until he felt fit to burst. Pleasure consumed him when the knot settled by his prostate, throbbing against him until he came as well. His orgasm overwhelmed him and he felt as if he was floating: his head cloudy like he had left his body. But he was grounded by how full he was, how Sendak smothered him and covered him from all sides, how he kept moving inside him until he completely emptied inside of him.

His body trembled and he panted as he started to come back to himself.

“Sendak,” he called out, his body still buzzing. “Ya gotta roll over.” There was so much cum in him that being on his stomach was uncomfortable. Sendak grunted slowly shifting, having to be mindful of how his knot pulled on Shiro’s ass. He managed to roll on his back keeping Shiro close. His arms wrapped around him and he gently licking over Shiro’s neck.

Shiro let him, too dopey to protest. A few minutes passed and Sendak was still inside him. His knot not showing any signs of waning. Sendak pulled the tousled blankets around them knowing Shiro would start to get cold.

“So,” Shiro started. “You bit my neck.”

“I didn’t break the skin,” Sendak informed him.

“But didn’t you say that if you were trying to mate me that you would…”

“It’s different.” Sendak didn’t want to get into biology right now, but Shiro was giving him such a smug look from over his shoulder he had to explain. “I have a secondary set of incisors. When I bit you they would have sprung out and left a permeant mark.”

“A scar?”

“No, it’s a visible secretion, like ink but it shares my sent so when I bit into your scent gland our smells would mingle. You would do the same to me and we would have something close to a shared scent to show our devotion to one another.”

“I hate to break it to ya, but the closest thing humans have to that kind of gland is in the armpit.”

“I see,” Sendak said. “Are you disappointed? You sounded eager just then.”

“I’m not disappointed,” Shiro said. “I’m good with things the way they are now.” He relaxed in Sendak’s hold. It was warm there. “I like what we have.”

Sendak nuzzled him purring softly.

“How long until you can pull out?” Shiro asked. He squirmed a little unable to believe how full he was. He finally got a chance to look down at himself and see the bulge where he was full of Sendak.

“Maybe a half hour or so,” Sendak lamented, “We should have eaten first.”

“Wait, a whole half hour?” Shiro was surprised. “It’s never been more than five minutes.”

“It depends on the amount of growth before a tie, and this time it was a little bigger. It’s going to take a little longer for it to go down. Does it hurt?”

“No, but it’s getting a little uncomfortable. I kind of want to let all this out.”

Sendak made a sound of satisfaction in response. His hand tenderly ran over Shiro’s tummy.

“I did that to you,” Sendak’s voice sounded a little wrecked as he caressed him. He was more than a little proud of his work.

“Feels weird when you do that,” Shiro was starting to get drowsy and let out a yawn.

“Go to sleep,” Sendak said.

Shiro wanted to stay up a little longer so he could clean up when Sendak pulled out. But sleep was pulling on him and he soon found himself drifting off in Sendak’s arm. He was too comfortable not to. Despite the earlier complaints of the bulge, there was something to being full like this that he found to be tranquil.

He never thought he would be into something like this, but here he was. Or maybe it was because it was Sendak.

But he would deal with those thoughts another day.

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. I have a few more ideas for this verse, but I have a few other projects I need to get a jump on first.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for sticking with me throughout this story. I appreciate every comment, bookmark, and kudos more than you can ever know! I hope you liked reading this as much as I did writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. Comments feed me ^^


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